Loyalty never dies (although people can)
by leggo lover 99
Summary: A week ago Leonardo was snatched by the Kraang and taken away to who knows where, yet after seven days of searching, April senses the leader's in extreme pain and where he is. Can the turtles find Leo and if they do- will he ever be the same again? Anything more will ruin it. READ AND REVIEW. WARNING contains torture, pain, suffering and maybe more!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 _Flash._

 _The darkness of the sewers, the four turtles standing back to back in the centre of the darkness._

 _Flash._

 _A pink light flares up- a Kraang portal._

 _Flash._

 _Kraang bots rushing through, surrounding them._

 _Flash._

 _A muffled yelp._

 _Flash._

 _Leonardo getting dragged back through the portal._

 _Flash._

 _Darkness once again._

Gasping for breath, Raphael bolted upright, his body soaked in sweat, drenching the sheets.

Taking a calming breath, he slowly levelled out his breathing until his pounding heartbeat had returned to normal. Unfortunately, this was the same dream he'd been suffering all week- but the only trouble was- it wasn't just a dream- it was a memory.

A week ago, while in the sewers, Raph and his brothers had been surrounded by Kraang droids and before they could even attempt to fight back at the overwhelming numbers- a group of the alien freaks had grabbed Leo and dragged him away through the portal.

The remaining droids were easy to destroy- yet none had a portal device on them, giving the turtles no possible way to follow their brother. Not even Donnie could think up some grand master plan.

So now, all seemed hopeless. Leo- their leader and the one Raphael had always secretly admired for his determination was gone. Snatched by alien creeps leaving them no way to get him back. They were stuck in New York while Leo could be suffering unimaginable horrors in dimension X.

Raph rubbed his eyes and swung himself out of bed. He couldn't stand the thought of sleeping while his brother was missing- despite there being hardly anything he could do. Maybe he could find a Kraang hideout and steal a portal device? Yes- that could possibly work. Donnie could figure out a way to keep the portal open to allow them to return. Perfect.

Smiling for the first time this week, the sai wielding ninja began to stretch when suddenly, a panicked voice came echoing through the lair.

"Guys! Wake up! It's April! She says she just had this vision of Leo! Get up!" Raph blinked. If April picked up Leo… He leapt across the room, tugging the door open and slammed it shut with a bang- beating Mikey by seconds to Donnie's lab.

"What'd she see?" He snapped impatiently at his brother, who was doing a web chat with the red headed girl, "Where is he?"

April looked sadly at him through the camera, and shook her head.

"I'm sorry Raph, but I don't know where he is- I only felt this sudden stab of… well pain doesn't even begin to describe what Leo was just feeling. It was-" she shivered and her face grew white, "horrible. I've never felt anything like it. He's wounded- wounded real bad…"

The brothers shot each other a worried glance- their fears coming true. Donnie turned back to April.

"Is there any way you can isolate where he is?" his voice wobbled slightly, yet he managed to keep a mostly calm exterior.

The teenage girl shrugged, "I've never tracked someone with my powers who wasn't close by, but I can try…"

On the screen April closed her eyes and placed her hands either side of her head and for a long moment, there was a silence. Mikey looked to Raph who then looked to Donnie who made a 'shhh' face. They waited.

"I got him!" April's cry startled them all, but the most aggressive of the turtles recovered quickly and pushed his face to the screen,

"Where?!" he cried, not bothering to hide his desperation.

April opened her eyes which were slightly cloudy from the use of her power, "I haven't got an exact position- but Leo's in a Kraang facility in Dimension X. I'm pretty sure that it's the same place most of the Kraang handheld portal things go to. He's in-" another pause as she closed her eyes for a second, "cell 178."

She looked at each of the turtles, waiting for a reaction.

"Thanks April." Donnie eventually muttered, "Get Casey and alert Splinter. We're going now."

The turtles all nodded in agreement, their brother needed them and they couldn't let him down. The sooner they got to him- the better.

April agreed and signed off. A long pause followed before Mikey whispered, his voice cracking,

"What did she mean by-" he swallowed loudly, "wounded real bad?"

Raph placed an arm around his youngest brother and looked at him,

"Nothing good, Bro- but Donnie will fix him up. He'll be fine…" Donnie nodded in agreement to cheer up his brother, yet neither of the older turtles believed what they said. Leo was their leader, the strongest both physically and mentally- heck- even spiritually- and if such a strong turtle could be badly wounded by the Kraang- their chances weren't very good.

"Come on," Raph moved away from his brothers, "Let's go get Leo."

 **THIS IS MY FIRST TMNT2012 FIC SO SORRY IF I HAVEN'T QUITE GOT ANYTHING RIGHT.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW IMPROVEMENTS AND OPINIONS OR EVEN REQUESTS! CHOCKY CHIP COOKIES FOR ALL!**

 **Do you think they will get Leo back?**

 **What state could he possibly be in?**

 **HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED! NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE READY VERY SOON!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	2. That is Leo

**Chapter 1**

 _Why are Kraang facilities always so light?_ Raphael cursed mentally as the trio of ninjas snuck through the building.

It had taken Donnie a matter of minutes to locate this particular Kraang facility, the energy use of the building the highest for blocks around. Only the alien freaks require so much light.

The plan was simple- go in; find a portal device carrying droid; bash them up (Raph liked this part); take the device and get into dimension X. Apparently simple.

But it was hard enough completing stage one of the plan, the light of the place, lack of nooks and crannies and hundreds of droids milling around made sneaking into the building near impossible- even for the experienced ninjas.

They reached the end of a corridor when Donnie- acting as leader due to his brains on this mission- raised a hand- signalling the rest to stop. The purple banded turtle pulled a strange pair of glasses over his eyes, and peered around the corner.

"There's one." He muttered to the others- "That bot's device is emitting the same frequency as dimension X. Raph?"

"With pleasure." He replied, pulling out his Sai. He leapt out of their cover and sprinted over to the lone droid.

"Halt, that is known as: turtle-" The metallic voice began, before a Sai produced from its head, making the brain like alien pop out and run of squealing round the corner. It would have escaped- if it wasn't the same corner the other turtles were standing behind. There was a thump and a clink of Mikey's numchucks and the Kraang fell to the ground unconscious.

"Let's go." Donnie whispered, plucking up the portal device from the damaged droid and activating it.

Mikey tapped his shoulder, "Um, no offense, dude, but like, how are we gonna get back?"

Donnie pulled another similar device from his belt, but this one had a green light rather than pink.

"I made it myself," Donnie said proudly, sticking out his chest, "I've tested it and it will take us right back to my lab. But-" he grew more serious, "do not- and Mikey- I mean _DO NOT_ touch this." He gestured to the left hand side button.

The youngest nodded and pretended to look innocent, but Raph caught him muttering silently to himself, "Right button, right button…"

One by one the turtles jumped through the portal- the bright corridors fading to purple, dim lighting. They were in dimension X.

As one, they all drew their weapons and looked around, yet there wasn't a Kraang droid in sight, only a heavy metal door with a cage drawn on it next to a test tube and the numbers 150-200.

"Well," Donnie sighed shakily, "I think we're in the right place." Pulling out his electronic skeleton key, he dropped to his knees and slid the chip through the lock on the door. There was a quiet beep and the door swung open to reveal… Cages. According to the door- fifty of the metal containers lay spread out in rows along the walls- some large enough to fit over ten humans while others were barely large enough for a single child, let alone the bizarre array of things stuffed inside.

"Amazing," breathed Donnie, red eyes bright with fascination- his scientific mind taking over, "Half of these things don't even originate from Earth! I bet they could even be from another dimension!"

Raph snorted, "Yeah, real smart, Don, I mean, it's not like the Kraang are from another dimension or anything- or that we are currently in Dimension X!" The elder turtle shook his head as a deep blush crept over his brother's green cheeks.

"Well…" Donnie faltered, "I meant _other_ dimensions- like a dimension Y or-"

"Or a dimension P!" Mikey butted in, his eyes glazing at the thought, "There would be Pandas wearing pants on a plane and then they would- oh! They would play punch the piñata!"

"Mikey- just because a dimension has a letter as its name- it doesn't mean that everything must begin with it. Example- Dimension X and Kraang. D and K."

Mikey waved a hand, "Well, there are exceptions."

"Um, Don?" Raph tapped a foot impatiently, "Enough with the science- more with the device to find Leo?"

Another blush stretched across the purple banded turtle's face and he muttered something under his breath before pulling a device out of his side pouch.

"So apart from the various species-" he coughed awkwardly, "at least there's no Kraang in sight. But this-" He tapped the device, "will make sure we know if any Kraang come near." There was a series of beeps, whirls and clicks before a tiny blue light flickered to life, and- judging from Donatello's expression- the _thing_ came to life.

"So… what is it?" Queried Raph, not paying any attention as Mikey wandered off.

Donnie placed the box onto the ground, allowing Raph to see that it had been created out of a leftover pizza box and scraps of a dustbin lid.

"It's an Automatic Sensory Kraang System or A.S.K.S for short." At his brother's confused face his smug grin dropped, "It tells us if Kraang bots are within a close proximity."

Raph nodded and turned around and froze.

"Um, Don… Where's Mikey?"

Under his breath he cursed, how could he let his little brother out of his sights- especially in a place like this?

Donnie turned, quickly scanning the area when a voice came from behind one of the large cages to the left.

"Yo, dudes. The cage is empty."

Leaving the scanner, the other turtles ran to where Mikey was crouched in front of a large cage with a pair of shackles abandoned on the floor. It's number: 173.

"Spread out- remember April could have got it wrong…" Raph ordered, hiding the rising panic inside. What if this _was_ where Leo was being held, but he was now- Raph shook his head. Don't think like that, he scorned. Leo would be fine- he-

"Hey, guys-" the two elder turtles turned to Mikey who was a couple of cages down the row, "Check it out-" Raph rushed to his brother an clamped a hand over his mouth to make sure he didn't alert any Kraang to their intrusion. Mikey nodded and pointed into the cage, voice quieter now, but in an over emphasised whisper, "Look at that! That lizard like thing looks kinda like Leo!"

At the mention of their brother's name- both turtles turned their heads towards the cage.

Their mouths dropped open.

"Mikey…" Raph whispered hoarsely, "That _is_ Leo…"

 **DUN DUN DUN!**

 **Why do you think they couldn't recognise their own brother?**

 **Why is he in a different cage?**

 **Why am I asking these questions although I don't usually get a reply from them?**

 **Why shouldn't I just put the next chapter gave me the nice feeling in my stomach (if you know me- you know this isn't usually a sign of cute scenes but something more sinister!)**

 **Review!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	3. What took you so long?

**Chapter 2**

At first, not one of the turtles would have spared the strange looking reptile inside the cage more than a quick glance due to them searching desperately searching for a turtle-like-being- one with a shell.

The problem was this being- now distinguished as Leonardo- had changed dramatically due to being trapped in dimension X for however long in Kraang terms a week was.

Leo was cut and bloodied, some scars were only just beginning to heal and even older ones covered his limbs in a maze of white, while fresher wounds were bleeding lightly. He no longer wore his wraps or straps- nor did he have his blue mask, and a thick metal collar held him closely bound to the cold bars.

Yet that was not the worst of it.

Leonardo had been deshelled. Somehow, the Kraang had cut Leo's shell away, leaving behind light skin around his torso and bloody skin held together by uneven stitches lining the place where his shell used to be attached to his body.

That was how not even his brothers had managed to recognise him at first.

"Leo…" Donnie croaked, his voice wavering.

"Wait…" Mikey cried in horror, "That's-"

"Yeah." Gulped Raph, "That's Leo…"

For a long moment the brothers could only stare at the prone figure of their leader and brother- frightened and worried by what had become of him in just a single Earth week.

Then a groan echoed through the bars- startling the three- yet their brother did not move.

"Leo…" Mikey tentatively asked, tears forming as he attempted to reach his brother through the bars, yet his arms were not long enough, despite the cage being small.

A bleep from the direction of Donnie's odd device brought Raph's perspective back into focus. He tore his gaze from his elder and grabbed Donnie by the arm,

"How close?"

"500 yards." Donnie stammered automatically- his eyes- like Mikey's- were wet.

Raph didn't know how far that really was, but nodded, pretending to know what he was doing, when in reality, his mind was still fixed solely upon Leonardo.

"Right…" he murmured, then raised his voice as loud as he possibly could with the Kraang nearing, and filled himself with false confidence, "Right, Don- turn that thing off- Mikey, help me get Leo out of there."

The youngest turtle nodded and put on a brave face while the scientific turtle left to shut down his device.

Pulling out his Sai, Raph quickly sliced an opening in the cage, ignoring the locked door on the other side, and hopped through the bars, catching the sliced ones so not to make a sound. Mikey followed and together they moved the bars out of the way silently.

With only two footsteps, they reached their brother- so small was the cage- and within a second, Donatello pushed past to start checking their brother's vitals.

"Pulse weak but still with us, air ways sound fine- blood clotting taking place- no sign of infection…"

"So he's alright?" Mikey asked hopefully, but was met with the cool stare of Donnie.

"Not alright Mikey," he sighed, "Leo is suffering from a multitude of injuries- we need to get him out of here and into my lab." Donnie ran his trembling fingers over his brother's body all the while, probing from wounds, but Raph noticed that his brother's hands hovered over the area a shell should have been from a while longer than need be. Donnie paused for a second, then moved back and nodded to Raph who started to get to work on the iron collar around his brother's neck. Mikey held the metal way from Leo's skin, revealing the flesh was rubbed raw and deep groves showing how Leo must have attempted to break free of the collar- up until… _No_ , Raph cursed mentally, _don't think like that_. The metal of the collar was thick, forcing Raph to saw through it slowly, driving his patience to the edge,

"Come on…" he hissed as his Sai grinded through the metal, but suddenly, it gave way and the metal released its cold hold on their brother, falling into Mikey's waiting hand. Raph sighed in relief as Donnie turned round from keeping watch, the two turtles shared a quick glance at their brother being free of his bonds.

It pained Raph to see Leonardo this way- chained and beaten- no longer strong and fearless.

Yet suddenly, as if hearing his thoughts, there was another slight groan from Leo, but this time, his eyes, one swollen nearly shut, flickered open- going wide at the sight before him.

"Leo?" Raph whispered, kneeling down before the slumped form of his brother.

"…W…what, took… you…s…so, long?" The eldest teased weakly, before jerking forward suddenly with a pained gasp as he clutched his bare chest.

Donnie shoved past Raph and probed his brother's torso once more.

"There could be some internal bleeding," was his verdict when Leo spasmed once more, collapsing into Donnie's lap, unconscious.

"Is he…?" Mikey couldn't finish.

"No." Donnie stated simply and a silence filled the cage, which, after a couple of seconds, was broken by a robotic voice.

"Kraang, report to the place which Kraang has heard a thing known as, noise."

"Yes Kraang."

"Sewer apples." Cursed Donnie, struggling under the weight of his unconscious brother, "Raph! We need to get out of here!"

The red banded turtle nodded and readied his sai as he asked Donnie over his shoulder, "You got the portal device?"

The science genius nodded and shifted Leo over to one shoulder so he could reach the Kraang technology. He pressed a button then tossed it to his elder brother, who then passed one end to Mikey.

The portal activated, the pink glow illuminating the cage as the triangular dimensional gateway opened.

"Go!" Yelled Raph, no longer worried about stealth, releasing his corner of the portal, forcing Mikey to do the same before pushing him through. Donnie followed with Leo slung over his shoulder, just as a Kraang droid rounded the corner. Raph winked at the droid then jumped through the portal, hitting what he was sure was the disarming button as he did so.

Finally, they were safe.

 **Poor old Leonardo...**

 **Thanks to all of you who have reviewed- and thanks to those who I can't PM personally. the support I'm getting is great.**

 **SO ANSWER THESE IN YOUR REVIEWS:**

 **Will Leo manage to recover?**

 **Will Donnie manage to save Leo's shell?**

 **What will Splinter, Casey and April's reactions be to Leo?**

 **Why did the Kraang only take Leo?**

 **Thanks for reading and i'll try and update as soon as possible!**

 **LL99 out!**


	4. Broken

**Chapter 3**

"My sons! My sons, where are you?"

"Raph? Mikey? Donnie? Leo? They should have been back by now…"

"Yo, shell brains? Doesn't look like they're here, Red. You sure Don was gonna bring them back here?"

"I'm pretty sure…"

Slowly, gradually the room swam into focus as each of the three youngest turtles came to- their heads throbbing.

"Raph-" Donnie groaned, rubbing his head while glaring at his brother, "by any chance, did you hit the left hand button?" Raph didn't respond to start with, but shrugged instead- they'd been in such a hurry to escape that he had forgotten about the warning. Donnie glared at the gesture, "Well you must of, as it caused a field disruption- knocking us all out- and if we tried to use our phones- they wouldn't work anymore."

"Donatello? Is that you?" There was a creak as Splinter's long face peered around the heavy lab door, "My sons, April told me where you went, what happened?" He froze- his eyes resting upon the bloodied and unmoving turtle. "Leonardo?" he whispered hoarsely, his wide eyes taking in the wounds and bare torso.

Mikey sat up and blinked back tears, turning his face away from his brother.

"The Kraang." Was Raph's only reply, only just noticing how bad his elder brother looked in proper lighting, how starkly the bruises stood out against his green skin.

"Master Splinter?" April's voice drew closer, "Have you found them?"

Donnie suddenly jumped to his feet, startling his brothers and his red eyes hardening the way they did when he started on a tough scientific task.

"Raph, get Leo onto the table- Mikey, you know what an IV tube looks like?" a nod, "There's one in the cupboard- grab it." He turned to April and Casey who had just entered and were staring- well, shell shocked not really being the most appropriate expression at that point, but accurate all the same, at Leo's battered form in Raph's arms. "You two, I need bandages, antiseptic cream and antibiotics- as much as you can find." The two humans paused for a second longer before Casey pulled April away.

"Donatello," Splinter asked, his voice shaking, "Is there any way I can help Leonardo?"

Taking a quick glance at the master ninja's shaking paws and worried expression, the scientific turtle shook his head. "Just help Casey and April."

With a final glance at his wounded son, Splinter rushed from the room.

Donnie turned to face his lab table where Leonardo was now laying as Mikey ran over with an IV stand and tube trailing behind. He placed the stand down to Leo's left and backed away, moving beside Raph, his eyes clearly showing his concern.

"Will he be alright?" the youngest asked to no one in particular.

Raph placed his arm around his brother and looked at Donnie, who was frantically finding equipment. "Donnie will help Leo. I know he'll pull through." Mikey nodded but quickly wiped away his tears as the humans and their Sensei came running back, arms full of medical supplies.

"Will this be enough, my son?" Splinter placed his pile down beside the table, April and Casey following suit.

"It should be-" Donnie scanned the pile quickly, nodded to himself, then turned to the group, "I need everybody to leave so I can work- except you Raph." The second eldest paused in his path towards the door.

"Wouldn't Splinter be-" He started but stopped as Donnie shook his head, subtly inclining his head towards their master's shaking paws. Raph appeared to understand and moved back to Leo's side.

The moment the last person left and the door closed, Donnie jumped into action- grasping the IV tube and placing in a needle. He then inspected Leo's arm and shook his head.

"What?" Raph asked anxiously.

"Broken." Donnie's hardened eyes met his brothers, "It's started to heal but in the wrong way. We're going to have to re-break it and cast it so it will grow back right."

Raph's eyes went wide, "We need to do what?!"

"Do you want Leo to have a crooked arm which causes constant pain?" Donnie snapped back, "You hold him down and I'll do it."

Raph eventually agreed and moved to hold Leo when he suddenly bucked, his bare chest freezing mid beat and his mouth opened wide.

"Donnie!" Cried the red banded turtle, "What's-"

"He's flat lining! Get the shock paddles from the back!"

As Raph sprinted towards the darkest part of the lab, Donnie started to do chest compressions on his eldest brother, ignoring a crack as a rib broke from the pressure. He blew a breath into Leo's mouth then checked for a pulse. Nothing. He started up again.

"I got them!" Raph pulled open the pack and threw the paddles to his brother. Donnie checked for a pulse again, and when he couldn't find anything, he rubbed the paddles together.

"Clear." He shouted and pressed the shock paddles to Leo's chest. A surge of electricity jolted through Leo's system. Donnie checked for a pulse. Still nothing.

"Come on Leo…" he felt a panic grab his heart, "Clear!" he cried desperately and applied another shock to his brother.

Behind him Raph was openly sobbing over and over,

"No, not Leonardo… please don't take him…"

Donnie had to admit he himself was repeating the same words…

 **LEO!**

 **Right- what do you think?!**

 **Review please and thanks to all of you who have- it does mean a lot.**

 **What's happened/ will happen/ may happen to Leo?!**

 **LL99 (in a rush so no questions this time- more next chapter) OUT!**


	5. So is he… dead?

**I don't** **usually do this, but I want to say thanks to:**

Insanity21 GekonniaPL Sairey13 Homeschoolrocksgirl Remcicles yukio87 Shiane Ventures and the unnamed guests! Thanks for all your support! You guys are awesome!

 **Chapter 4**

After a couple of long, tense hours, the doors to Donatello's lab rolled open revealing two grave looking turtles.

Instantly, the small group outside rushed over, Mikey being beaten by a calmed down splinter to find out how Leonardo was.

Donnie looked to his elder brother who turned around and closed the doors again silently, before sighing and wiping his strained looking face with a hand. There was a couple of specks of blood on his wrappings. Splinter felt the tension build- sensing the battle over which turtle would speak first.

"So…?" April coaxed, hands on hips, "How is he?"

Donnie sank onto the steps and to Splinter's surprise put his head in his hands,

"Extremely bad," he began, voice small, "He's suffered a serious array of internal and external injuries-"

"And now a broken rib when you tried to get his heart going…" Raph muttered, looking back at the lab door with a pained expression.

"I'm coming to that, Raph-" Donnie raised his head to the shocked group and continued, his voice wobbling slightly, "Leo's got some internal bleeding, due to various beatings from what we can tell- but we've managed to stem the flow, plus Raph's given him some blood." Behind Donatello, Raphael rubbed his arm subconsciously, "Then there's the… _shell_ … issue. The work the Kraang did must have caused tremendous pain- for there's no drugs in Leo's system," Splinter and Mikey flinched, but Casey interrupted with a,

"But those weird shells of yours just slide right off, right?" Everyone turned to stare at him.

"Seriously Casey, I mean- are you serious?!" Raph exploded, "You've known us for this long, and you didn't know our spines are in our shells?!"

Casey turned to April, "Yeah, well, April doesn't know either- right, Red?"

April shook her head, "I knew. I mean- there _are_ about three posters up in Donnie's lab showing the skeletons and stuff of a turtle." Casey opened his mouth to respond when Splinter banged his staff upon the floor- ending the conversation,

"Silence!" He turned to the smartest of his sons, "Now, Donatello, what where you saying?"

The purple banded turtle cleared his voice before continuing his diagnosis, "Leo's spine is still intact and there is no damage to his neuro system, yet the Kraang have removed his vertebrae from the inner lining of the shell and placed them inside his skin- like a human." The others all froze, without drugs, the procedure would have been like torture- only ten times worse. Mikey's eyes were wet so Raph moved to wrap a comforting arm around his brother.

"What did you mean that Leonardo's heart needed to get started, Raphael?" Splinter asked his son- his eyes wide and fearful- yet his voice held steady.

Raph paused then spoke with a hoarse voice,

"Leo started to flat line… Don used the shock paddles on him about five times…" his voice faltered at the memory so Mikey interrupted,

"So is he… _dead_?" he whispered, clutching his brother harder.

Donnie looked down sadly at his brother from the top of the stairs and shook his head.

"LEO!" sobbed Mikey, melting into Raph's shell, tears running thick and fast down his face. April let out a strangled sob and threw herself at a white faced Casey.

Splinter just looked down at his sons with a smile on his long face.

"Donatello, do you wish to rephrase that statement?" he mused, looking at the shocked look on his son's face.

"Leo's alive." The turtle stated, watching as the expressions of grief was slowly replaced by looks of awkwardness and joy. Mikey continued to hug his brother and his tears were replaced by ones of happiness. Raph was grinning, yet his eyes were still fearful. "We managed to stabilise his breathing, and gave him a sedative. He should wake up soon."

Splinter nodded,

"You should be by his side when he wakes, my sons. Go."

"Mikey?" Donatello looked to his younger brother, "Could you cook up some soup please? Leo's gonna need something."

The youngest put his thumbs up and scampered off to the kitchen, eager to help his brothers however he could.

There was a silence for a short time, before Donnie heard a slight groan from behind the doors and beckoned Raph to follow. The two opened the doors and with a last look back at their anxious father, they went to check on their leader, brother and now- patient.

 **Sorry it's only short but I needed to clear up a few points.**

 **The next chapter will be more exciting- I promise!**

 **Will Leo recover?**

 **Will Mikey manage to make something other than pizza?**

 **Will casey learn the difference between man and turtle?**

 **And most importantly: WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?!**

 **Review with your ideas!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	6. The Kraang could end up finding us

**Chapter 5**

Pain. Just, pain. A searing fire was sweeping through his body with a ferocity never before felt. At least, not before those alien freaks had got their slimy tentacles on him.

"Don! Come over! He stirred!" was that…? No, it couldn't be. It was just another vision- a hallucination of a tortured soul, brought on by those strange liquids injected into him. They kept messing with his mind. Anyway, his brothers couldn't find him- he'd lost that hope weeks ago.

"Leo? Can you hear me?"

Now the voice sounded like Donatello. When would all the suffering end?

"Are you sure, Raph? He isn't responding."

There was a moment of silence again then something prodded his leg, forcing Leo's eyes open- the sight before him making him freeze.

Two of his brothers were standing above him, their faces creased with grins. But these were unlike any other vision he had experienced, for they seemed solid, not see through or fuzzy like before.

"Guys?" he managed to whisper hoarsely.

Donnie and Raph's smiles grew wider and the purple banded brother moved forward and rested a comforting hand upon Leo's shoulder- the touch making him flinch.

"Don't worry, Leo. You're safe now."

Yes. They were definitely real. He could even see the familiar layout of his brother's lab in the background. He was about to relax when a sudden thought shocked his system.

"Not… safe…" he barely managed to force the words out, his body groaning with the effort as he gesture weakly to a cleaned wound on his foot. Although he was relieved to be rescued, his number one priority would always be the protection of his family, "There's… a, tracker… chip…" his hand fell back down to his side and he realised there was a cast on it.

Donnie blinked then moved out of Leo's perspective for a second before returning with an odd looking device.

"X ray scanner with a built in electromagnetic tracker." He muttered, feeling his brothers' confused glances. There was a beep and Donnie looked at the readings on the device. "Sewer apples!" he cursed, turning to face his injured brother, "Sorry, Leo, I'm going to have to operate to get it out- it's been implanted between tendons so it's going to be a pain to get out-" Leo winced at the word, "I… I meant it's going to be hard to get out…" Donnie stuttered, attempting to cover his bad choice of word, "The Kraang could end up finding us if I leave it."

Swallowing, Leo nodded yet inside he was in turmoil. He didn't want to see any more blood, feel any more scalpels or enter the dreaded darkness once again. He was… _afraid_ … yes, he admitted it- the fearless leader now stood- well, lay- before a single operation to save his family from the monsters who experimented on him- and he was terrified. He was afraid of pain and that if he closed his eyes, his brothers would fade as if they were just another hallucination…

Before he could change his mind, he met eyes with Donnie and muttered, "Take it out…"

His brothers looked at him for a second, obviously seeing the dread in his face, then Donnie moved out of Leo's line of sight.

"I'm going to give you something to ease the pain in a second. It'll knock you out for a couple of hours so your system can begin to recover." The purple banded turtle drifted back into view, a vial of clear liquid in hand. He looked back down at Leo and gave an assuring smile, "You won't feel a thing." He injected the liquid into the IV tube and instantly, Leo's eyes began to feel heavy, darkness creeping into the corners of his vision. He heard his breathing grow more panicked and his chest tighten- and he felt like begging to be kept awake- to escape the darkness and the horrors it brought, but suddenly, there was a squeeze of his hand and the last thing he saw before his vision faded to black was his brothers, both regarding him with concerned and protective eyes.

He halted his fighting. Finally, after such a long time of pain and torture, he was safe…

 **Sorry I haven't updated in ages- I've had so much on my plate...**

 **So review like usual and thanks to all of you who continue to read! I'll try to update soon.**

 **Will the Kraang find them?**

 **Will the chip be removed?**

 **Will Leo ever recover?**

 **Will I ever shut up?!**

 **Will Leo be able to fight back and get his revenge or will he end up cowering forever more?**

 **Find out soon!**

 **LL99 Out!**


	7. Nearly being impaled by a scalpel

**Chapter 6**

 ** _I just did a quiz and it turns out I would be Leonardo! I would say yay- but once I re-read this story- I may not be as glad with the result!_**

 ** _Warning: I may have accidently added brotherly fluff!_** ** _L_**

"Raph?"

The red banded turtle looked up from his unconscious brother, eyes, slightly widened.

"Did you see his face, Don?" He muttered, clenching a fist, "Leo's… terrified…"

Donatello paused, like his brothers, he could never imagine their oldest brother scared- let alone terrified- yet he too had seen Leo's eyes when he had mentioned the operation.

He shook his head.

"I know, Raph, but if we don't get this chip out then the Kraang will find the lair and Leo. Could you get the scalpel from the draw to your left?"

Raph grunted as he bent down, pulling open the draw,

"Are you seriously gonna do this to Leo?" he growled, the compassion and concern for his elder brother clear to read, "I mean look at him…" his voice faltered for a moment and Donnie could have sworn he saw Raph's eyes go moist, "What have the Kraang done to him?"

The scientific turtle bit back his emotions- he knew that what was most important was protecting Leonardo from the Kraang and that meant operation. His worry would explode out later- the way it always would…

"I don't like this anymore than you, Raph, but please could you hand me the scalpel?"

That was the moment Raphael- the hard core, cold and at times psychopathic turtle- exploded.

"HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO HIM?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Donnie was glad he had the indicative to shut the sound proof doors, "HE'S OUR BROTHER!" Raph leapt forward, scalpel in hand, ready to attack. To Donatello's horror, his brother's eyes had clouded over, overwhelmed by his anger.

"Hey, hey, Raph? Take it easy bro? It's me! Another one of your brothers who you would really regret stabbing with their own equipment. I think." Donnie begged Raph, backing away from the deadly weapon. He regretted sharpening it yesterday.

"AFTER ALL HE'S BEEN THROUGH YOU WANT TO JUST CUT HIM UP ALL OVER AGAIN?" Raph's breathing was starting to come out in sobs, his grip on the instrument loosening- which was lucky due to the purple banded turtle managing to trap himself in the corner of his lab, jamming himself between a cupboard and a wall.

"Raph!" Donnie pounced at his brother, slamming a foot into the leading weapon hand, while his other landed a solid kick on his brother's shell, knocking him to the floor.

He applied pressure to Raph's chest to stop him from going for him again, and picked up the scalpel, moving it out of harm's way.

"Raph?" Donnie attempted again, and to his upmost relief, life flickered back into his brother's eyes. He was calming down. "Please don't go at me with a freaking _SCALPEL_ ever again!" He let out some of his own bottled up anger, but instantly regretted it when his brother's face, well… crumpled.

"I couldn't save him… This has happened as I couldn't find a way to get him back." Tears started to fall from Raphael's eyes. Donnie let him up, shocked by his brother's emotional display.

"Hey, Raph… It isn't your fault- there's nothing you could do." The younger of the turtles bent down next to his brother, failing to get to grips with the fact that Raph was crying _over Leo_.

Raph looked into his brother's red eyes, making no attempt to hide his emotions,

"You can fix him, right D?" He hoarsely whispered, "We- no. I need him… We can't let the Kraang get him-" He was cut short by Donnie wrapping his long arms around him, rubbing the back of the elder turtle's shell, the way Master Splinter did when they were just kids. Raph tensed for a second before returning the embrace.

"I care about Leo too." Donnie muttered into his brother's ear, "I promise I will do everything I possibly can to fix him, but right now, I need to get that chip out…" he felt tears begin to roll down his own cheeks, oh well, he may as well let it out before he tended to Leo… "I'm scared for him Raph… I mean, our shells are our main line of defence- the fact that Leo's lost his…"

Raph tightened his grip on his brother.

The two brothers sat there for a moment longer before Raph coughed awkwardly, apparently only just realising his brother saw his outburst.

"Um… Don?" Donatello looked up and met his brother's gaze, inclining his head, signalling for Raph to continue, "About earlier… I'm… sorry."

Donnie looked wide eyed at his brother,

"Can you repeat that please?" he teased, "I think what I just heard was an aftershock of nearly being impaled by a scalpel."

Raph punched him softly on the arm.

"Let's get that chip outta Leo."

Donnie nodded and pulled his elder up with him. He picked up the abandoned scalpel and ran it under some hot water.

"Oh, and Donnie?" He looked to Raph standing next to Leo, "Thanks."

Donatello smiled as he moved next to his brothers, a small dish in one hand, containing the equipment needed for the procedure.

"Ok, so there's gonna be quite a bit of blood Raph, so I need a bowl of water and a soft towel. Can you clean the wound once I've got the chip out?" A nod. "Right, I'll begin."

The next hour was filled with a concentrated silence as Donnie skilfully cut into Leo's foot, moving around the important parts and located the chip. He stated that it was "Entwined with the tendons" so would be a pig to remove, but forty-five minutes later and Leo was baring a cleaned and bandaged foot, all the skin neatly sewn back together again.

Once Donnie had cleaned up both himself and the table, he and Raph carefully moved Leo onto a mattress Mikey had found earlier, and covered him up. They were just about to sit down next to their brother when there was a thunder of footsteps and a light burst through the bottom crack in the lab door.

"It's the Kraang!" Raph hollered, moving in front of Leo, pulling out his Sai. Behind him, Donnie looked down at his unconscious brother with fearful eyes.

They had found Leo

 **DUNDUNDUN!**

 **So: what do ya all think?!**

 **Will the attackers be held off?**

 **Will anyone find out about Raph's little breakdown?**

 **Will Donnie manage to destroy the chip?**

 **And will mikey ever turn up with Leo's food?!**

 **Please review and thanks for all the support!**

 **LL99 OUT**


	8. why were you so sure?

**Chapter 7**

The reaction from the two brothers was instant. Donnie, reaching for the scalpel, jumped to his feet with a look at his sleeping brother, angled his tiny weapon at the door. Raphael, who had his sais on his belt still, pulled them out and got into a fighting stance. Both pairs of eyes were fixed firmly upon the door.

There was a scrapping sound and the tell-tale Kraang noise of a metallic clang, and to the brothers' horror, the lab door began to roll open.

"On three." Raph muttered to Donnie, "One," their grips on their weapons tightened, "Two," they got ready to charge, and as the door opened wide enough for someone or thing to come through, Raph yelled "ONE!" And with loud battle cries, the two middle brothers charged at the door, weapons poised ready for battle.

There was a scream as Raph collided with something, but to his surprise- the _thing_ wasn't metallic. It was fleshy- almost like…

"Mikey?" Asked the bewildered Raph, his sai resting at the base of his little brother's neck, "What are you doing? What was that light?"

Mikey held up an empty bowl, and it was then when Raph remembered Mikey was supposed to be making Leo a soup.

"What's your problem, dude?" Mikey yelled, soup dripping down his face, "I bring the soup and you charge at me! You dudes have lost it!"

Donnie took the change to hurriedly hide the fact he was about to ram his brother with a scalpel and hid it behind the door.

"So what was the light we saw?" Donnie moved to help the disgruntled Mikey off the floor, "we thought it was the Kraang."

Mikey raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

The youngest shrugged, bent down and picked up a short stick, one end charred black.

"Tada!" Mikey cheered, gesturing dramatically to the item. Raph looked to Donnie with a confused look, which was returned.

"Mikey," Raph sighed, "what exactly is 'Tada'?"

"A sparkler." The orange banded turtle smiled as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Donnie raised a hand in front of Raph, aware of how close the elder turtle was to wrapping his green hands around the youngest throat.

"You scared the heck out of us, Mikey. We heard you bashing around and then saw the light- which- by the way- both made us think that the KRAANG WAS ATTACKING US!"

Splinter must have heard the raised voices as he had silently drifted over in his usual mysterious manner, his voice making the brothers jump.

"And why were you so sure the Kraang would return?" their rat master stroked his beard in contemplation.

Donnie and Raph shared a glance before the intelligent turtle spoke,

"Well, it turns out that Leo had a tracker chip implanted into his foot- he alerted us to this fact when he woke up."

Splinter's eyes widened, "What about the chip now? Have you destroyed it?"

To everyone's surprise, Donatello actually smiled,

"Well, you remember how I specifically told everyone _not_ to press the button on the portal device?" there were nods, "And you know how it knocked us all out?" more nods, "Well that was because we were sent home in a sort of short cut which has different radiation levels, wave frequencies and a separate time stream- which resulted in the chip's transmitter going offline."

Blank stares met him.

"Um, interesting Donnie- if you can speak _nerd_. English version?"

Donnie shook his head, "That was actually basic terminology of space and time." But he saw Raph's glare and rapidly changed tack, "But in basic terms, it means the portal broke the chip. Since we entered the portal, it hasn't been transmitting. But I still smashed it to make sure." He pulled a zippy bag out of his belt, containing the smashed remains of the chip.

Splinter nodded in approval.

"Very good my sons. Now you must rest, you have been extremely busy tonight. I will watch over your brother." Mikey and Donnie nodded and started off towards their rooms, but Raph hesitated, casting a glance back at the lab. "Go, Raphael. Leonardo will be fine."

Raph appeared to be reassured and moved away. Splinter moved backwards into the lab and shut the door, seeing his battered son clearly for the first time.

"My son…" he whispered hoarsely, his voice catching with emotion.

 **Sorry for the long wait- but I was abroad without a computer. I know it's short, but I promise the next chapter will be amazing!**

 **So here's the questions for today:**

 **Has Donnie destroyed the chip?**

 **Will Leo wake up soon?**

 **Will Raph be okay until Leo wakes up?**

 **review please!**

 **LL99 out!**


	9. Tell me what happened to you

**Chapter 8**

Splinter had witnessed some terrible things during his life time. He had watched a friend become consumed by hatred; had borne witness to the death of his beloved wife; watched his daughter attack him with anger and even watched his sons wounded, yet none of these things even came close to the horror which lay before him.

Leonardo lay on the mattress, his face screwed up slightly in turmoil. One arm was encased in a white cast while various wounds were wrapped in bandages, and the horrible stitching the alien creatures had performed had been cut away and neatened up, yet the scars remained.

Splinter had to hold the door frame for support. Leonardo had always been the strong one, his mind, heart and soul ready to protect his brothers at any cost, but where had Splinter been? Meditating or just hiding in the lair out of the way like a coward?

He crossed the room and knelt beside his eldest son, stroking his head in a soothing gesture.

"Leonardo, my son- I am sorry."

He closed his eyes and started a healing chant, applying his glowing hands to various wounds for a couple of minutes at a time, attempting to speed up the body's natural healing process.

"F… father?" A weak voice made the rat master's eyes jump open, taking in the battered yet alert face of his son.

Splinter bent down further and wrapped his arms carefully around the eldest turtle, and after a slight pause, the rat felt Leonardo's arms return the gesture.

"You had us very worried, my son." He whispered, "How are you feeling?" he pulled back and gave the 'I will know if you're lying' gaze.

Leonardo swallowed, then awkwardly attempted to sit up, but found it extremely difficult due to his broken arm. Splinter helped his son upright then resumed his fatherly concern.

"Well…" Leonardo started, then changed tack, "Master, how did you… come back from losing everything in the fire?" this caught Splinter by surprise. That was not the question he had been expecting. He had imagined something concerning the other brothers or even the creatures which had taken him, but this sudden and personal question made him worried about his son. He thought about it for a long moment before responding.

"I knew I had a duty to my wife and my daughter. Yes, they would understand if I decided to give up, but they would have wanted me to continue for their memories and my sanity. I would have lost everything I fought for if I gave up. I then had the responsibility of four sons- and it is this responsibility you have to your brothers that will help you on your path." Leonardo blinked, lost in thought, "You have been through a lot Leonardo, anything you need to get off your chest- now is the perfect time. We are alone." The wise sensei smiled softly, "I am glad you are home."

The turtle raised his face and his eyes widened, the dull blues lighting up a little and a slight smile reached his lips.

"So am I Sensei…" he whispered, yet with that his face dropped again, "But I don't think I can come back from this one…" he drifted off once more and Splinter had to persuade him for an explanation.

"Go on my son, it will be easier to say it now rather than allow it to build up inside and destroy you from within. Please, tell me what happened to you, and I promise you will never have to talk about it again if you do not wish."

With a nod Leonardo continued.

"When they first took me, they just left me for a couple of weeks, then…" he took a breath and clutched the side of the mattress tightly, "Then they began to _beat_ me- to get me to tell them the location of the lair- I didn't break Sensei. I never would." Splinter nodded, overcome by pride and sadness of what his eldest would do to protect his family. "Then the experiments started." A violent shiver overcame Leonardo, and Splinter held him until they passed.

"Calm, my son. You are safe here. Do not fear." Leonardo took a breath.

"They injected me with these different things and each created these illusions, or visions or something. I… I saw… I saw you die, Sensei, the blade was in my hands…" He choked back a sob, "And then I turned, and Raphie was there, and I…" without any warning, sobs racked the young turtle's form, tears spilled down his cheeks and Splinter pulled him into his fur, horrified by what Leonardo had been through. Out of the four brothers, Leonardo had been the one with the least amount of tears. He had only occasionally cried as a toddler, then maybe once as a young child, but since then- no tears had been spilt from this turtle, at least up until now. Slowly, the sobs began to subside, leaving a highly embarrassed Leonardo furiously rubbing his eyes.

"Do you see why it is better to get this out the way now rather than in front of your brothers?" the rat asked kindly, receiving a reluctant nod. "Continue when you are ready, my son."

"I saw myself… _kill_ each of my brothers, every time in full detail and then- after what must have been a couple of days at least- the images stopped. I… I just wanted to die, father…"

Splinter blinked back his shock.

"But Leonardo, you said the hallucinations had stopped, why did you wish to die?" Leonardo looked up at his father, seeming to pick his words carefully.

"Imagine you had just been through days of watching yourself kill everyone you have ever cared about, powerless to stop yourself, then imagine waking up and having no idea if you had killed or whether you had dreamt it. I didn't even know until the guys came for me…" The rat master shook his snout sadly, and for the first time in his long life, he did not know what to say. Thankfully Leonardo continued his woeful tale before Splinter could think of anything to say, saving the distressed father from having to put his immense sorrow into words. "A couple of days later they began to speak about another experiment- then they injected something else into me and everything went dark…" he sighed heavily, his eyes staring unblinking at the far wall. "I felt this stabbing at my conscious and saw scalpels digging into my skin," his hand ran along his stomach, "When I woke up, they'd removed my shell…" the last words came out in a hoarse whisper, "That's when I gave up hope that you were ever going to find me…" Splinter felt something wet on his fur, and when he looked down, Leonardo had started crying again softly. He rested a paw on each of the turtle's shaking shoulders, causing Leonardo to look up.

"My son…" for a moment words failed him, so he pulled the turtle into a full embrace, "never give up hope- it's the key to finding joy. What you have gone through was terrible and not many could have survived what you have just described to me, but remember, Leonardo, we would never give up on you- not a single one of us." Leo rubbed his eyes and bowed his head once more.

"But Sensei- I just don't think I can come back from this one." He bunched his fists with a look of agony on his face.

"Explain what do you mean, Leonardo."

The turtle gripped his arms,

"It's just what they… _did_ to me…" he shuddered and the master ninja placed a comforting paw on his shoulder, "I don't think I'm strong enough to lead the team anymore. I'm not a worthy leader… "

"My son- you were taken by the enemy and survived, not many could have gone through what you did and be able to talk about their experiences. For that, I am proud, and I know your brothers will be too."

Leo smiled again, but the thoughts still contorted his face to look troubled.

Suddenly, there was a loud clatter from the back of the lab- something was there in the shadows- and to Splinter's sadness, Leonardo began to shake violently once again, curling his legs over his now unprotected chest.

"Who is there?" Splinter stood, taking up a defensive position before his son, "Show yourself!" there was the sound of footsteps, then to everyone's surprise, Raph moved forth from the shadows. "Raphael!" Splinter put down his staff again and beckoned him closer, "What were you doing hiding back there?" he questioned, "I told you to get some rest."

Raph had a determined yet shocked expression plastered over his green face, his jaw was working and his temple twitched- all early signs of an anger explosion.

"Those creeps are gonna pay for what they did to ya', Leo!" he burst, "How could they do all that to ya'- why couldn't they have taken me instead?" Raph balled up his fists even tighter, releasing every question that had been in his mind since his brother had been taken, "Why did they only take you? Why didn't they stay to fight us? Why-" Raph took a breath and froze as Leo's eyes met his own. They were large, in pain and pleading- a look Raph wasn't used to seeing his brother wear, and this caused him to stop. He bowed his head and muttered, "Why did they do all that to you?"

Leo didn't respond, but Master Splinter took the moment to butt in.

"Raphael- stay with your brother, I am going to meditate. I do not wish to hear any commotion- you both need to rest."

"Hai Sensei." Both turtles grudgingly replied, more out of habit than anything else.

The door closed and an extremely awkward silence filled the air. Raph cleared his throat.

"Um, Leo- can I just-" but his brother's eyes hardened, hiding any emotion, before he interrupted.

"Look, Raph- yes I look like a broken thing, but stop treating me as vulnerable. I spoke to Master Splinter in what should have been private- but you overheard it all. Go on, tease."

But to his uttermost shock, Raph bent down and embraced his brother in a fierce hug,

"I thought I had lost you, Leonardo…" he whispered and something wet landed on Leo's shoulder- Raph was _crying_! "We all missed you so much," he continued, "We _needed_ you…"

Leo felt his heart swell with pride. That was one of the first times they had said that directly to him, admitted that they needed a leader. For a second, Leo was overcome with emotion, yet after running the thought through his head a couple of hundred times, he returned the hug with equal emotion.

"Thank you." He whispered, "I missed you guys too…"

 **Sorry there isn't a dramatic cliffhanger for this chapter, but I promise there will be in the next chapter!**

 **Your reviews will be honoured as gods so please review!**

 **Will this episode come up in some teasing?**

 **Will Leo begin to heal now he's spoken to splinter?**

 **What are the Kraang doing?**

 **Why did they just take Leo?**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter (for my kinder readers) and the next will be back to the more nitty gritty stuff! (for readers who like a little pain or evil based stuff like I do!)**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	10. It's hopeless

**Chapter 9**

After the incident of Raphael overhearing Leo and Splinter, the general mood between the two oldest turtles seemed to have changed. Raph appeared less angry while Leo seemed to be opening up more often. Donnie and Mikey still didn't know exactly what was said between their brothers, but in all honesty, they didn't really care as long as the lightened mood continued.

It was a day after Leo woke up when he left the lab, surprising everyone at breakfast by limping in alone. He was still bruised and cut- his most excessive injuries wrapped up, his arm in a cast and he leant heavily on a crutch Donnie managed to salvage on account of Leo's injured foot. Apart from all that and the fact he was wearing a smaller version of Master Splinter's dark kimono, he pretty much looked like the old Leo.

Mikey was the first to notice his entrance and alerted the others by subtly screaming,

"LEO!" and dropping his bowl of soup in his hurry to give his brother a hug. The last time he had seen Leo, he had been unconscious and in an extremely bad way, but when he delivered the soup, he couldn't even see him. Mikey had been annoyed at his brothers for not letting him help Leo out, but looking now at the array of cuts and injuries- all freshly healing- he was thankful his young life hadn't been disturbed by the horrors that had been performed on his brother.

He wrapped his arms tightly around his brother, careful to avoid the area where his shell had been, and to his shock, he felt Leo stiffen before returning the hug. Releasing him, Mikey stepped back so Donnie could hug his brother as well, before turning all serious again- his doctor face fixed firmly upon his features.

"Mikey, grab Leo some soup- and add one spoonful of that bottled powder to it." He turned to the confused Leo, "He's adding important vitamins to it- things which I doubt you've had much of in the last month." He then moved aside so Leo could sit down, knowing full well not to act as if he wasn't capable of doing anything by himself. Raph had warned him and Mikey to do the same.

Mikey frisbeed the bowl over to Leo without thinking, but despite being out of practise, his reflexes were on point and he caught it mid-air. He looked shocked that he did that, but quickly hid his surprise as Mikey came over with the soup, filling the bowl to the brim then adding a spoonful of white powder. As the vitamins drifted down into the soup and sunk below the surface, Leo's mind flickered back to the drug experiments they did to him. The drugs were added to food, or injected in, but the ones he found in meals looked very similar- finely grained and pure white.

He felt himself shaking as his breath caught in his throat and he vaguely heard Mikey shouting at Donnie, yet the words were not clear.

Suddenly he felt strong hands grip his shoulders, pulling him back from the horrors in his mind, he blinked and a red masked turtle stood before him, worry etched onto his face. In the corners of his eyes, Leo could make out a smudge of orange and of purple, yet his gaze never moved from Raphael's face.

"Leonardo. Are you with us?" Raph's voice trembled a little, and Leo blinked. He nodded slowly, "What happened there, bro?" Raph questioned kneeling before his brother.

It took Leo a second to find his voice, and when he did, he spoke barely above a whisper.

"The drugs…" he closed his eyes and felt the shame for what he must look like, a scared, helpless invalid, that's what he knew his brothers must be thinking. Leonardo, the fearless leader- now reduced to cowering at a bowl of soup. He took a breath. "It was nothing, guys. I'm fine." He opened his eyes and looked to each of his brothers in turn. Mikey looked terrified, Donnie was disbelieving and Raph- well, he looked half way between a full out explosion and slapping Leo around the face.

"Leo-" It was Donnie, great. "You've got to tell us what's going on, or else how can we help you?"

Leo crossed his arms across his chest, he still couldn't get used to the feel of skin rather than a shell.

"Fine," he growled, "The Kraang experimented on me and gave me all these stupid drugs!" his voice rose and he stood suddenly, "That's why I'm freaking out at a frickin' bowl of soup!" he stormed out of the kitchen, cursing himself for forgetting his crutch, when he froze for a second before falling to his knees. He let out a sob and put his head in his hands, even though he knew he was safe, he kept having these crushing visions and flashbacks, each one sending him spiralling back down into depression. He had a duty to his brother's, yet how could he perform such a simple duty when the very floor he put his feet on could come crashing down at any moment?

He heard the footsteps of his brothers drawing near, but he couldn't move. _I'm done,_ he thought, _I can't come back from this…_

"Leo?" The footsteps quietened as if slowing down, then he heard Raph mutter to the others,

"Give us a minute?"

Two lots of footsteps retreated back into the kitchen.

"Hey? Leo? You wanna talk?"

Leo rubbed his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Raph.

"It's hopeless…" he muttered, then attempted to stand, but his bad leg wouldn't hold him and he fell straight back down, yet Raph had moved forward and grabbed him.

"What is?"

"Look at me Raph! Just open your eyes and look what they've done to me!" Sobs racked his body, but he didn't care, what he had to say was more important. "I'm no good to the team anymore! I can't face food as it reminds me of the drugs! I can't face blood or knives because of the experiments and I can't face you or the others as it reminds me of the visions! I _saw_ myself killing you- all of you! Do you know what that's like Raph?! Do you know what it's like to do something you can't take back, even though you didn't want to do it in the first place?!"

There was a heavy silence before Raph spoke.

"Yeah, I do Leo…"

The eldest turtle froze and looked to his brother.

"What do you-"

"I mean my anger, Leo. I can't control it- just as you couldn't control your actions." Raph sighed and lifted his brother up, carrying him to the sofas, "I know what you mean, Leonardo, and the best way to get past it, is, well-" he put his brother down on the seat, "To say sorry." Leo looked up at Raph, shaken by the brutal honesty his brother was speaking, he never spoke like this to him before. Yet it seemed that Raph still had more to say, "You remember that morning, the one you were taken?" Leo winced, he knew where this was headed, "Well, I know you're a goody two shoes, and you like bossing everyone around- but I didn't mean it bro, I'm… I… I'm sorry…" Leo blinked and a small smile crept onto his face.

"Raph-"

"Let me finish." But he was smiling as well, "Gosh, this is getting soppier than when April thought she lost Casey!" both laughed, "But what I'm trying to say Leo, is that all that time you were missing, all I could think about was how we had argued that morning, and I was thinking- what if we couldn't find you, and one of the last things we did was argue? That was killing me." Leo winced at the expression, but Raph caught it, "Sorry- um… tearing me apart? No- er… Bugging me?" Leo nodded.

"Sorry Raph…" he muttered, "I didn't think…"

Raph plonked himself next to Leo and put his arm around his brother's shoulders, "You don't have to say anything. If you need to talk- I'm here. And Leo- we will know if something's wrong." He smiled and in Leo's chest, he felt a huge weight begin to lift. He wasn't alone on this path, as long as he had his brothers with him, he knew everything would be alright.

"Thank you." He leant into Raph, and the brothers hugged.

A slow clap started up behind them and a deep voice stated.

"That was the thing known as 'entertaining.'"

 **DUN DUN DUN! Poor old Leo, he's falling apart again! *cackles and rubs hands together in glee***

 **So here's the questions:**

 **Who is that voice?**

 **Can Leo ever face soup again?**

 **Why does he keep tensing before hugs?**

 **Can Leo come back to being the fearless leader he once was?!**

 **Review review review! And thanks to all of you who have sent in your ideas!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	11. What's all this

**THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE REVIEWED THIS STORY! YOU ARE NINJAS!**

 **Chapter 10**

In his arms, Raphael felt his elder brother begin to shake terribly and as he looked down, he saw him muttering silently to himself. Raph could make out _please_ and _there_ , yet he didn't need anything to know Leo didn't want to go back to the horrors he had managed to escape.

Raph released his brother and as he turned, pulled out his sais, ready to attack. At first he couldn't see anything, then he saw two blue eyes from the shadows. Wait, what? The Kraang didn't usually have blue eyes did they? Must be a new model, unless…

The shrouded figure steeped forward and Raph felt his eyes bulge in anger as a freckly face emerged.

"Mikey! What the shell do you think you were doing?" Raph exploded, making Leo uncurl and stare wide eyed at his baby brother, embarrassment and fear quickly flashing in his features. "Why would you even think that speaking like a Kraang would be a good idea- wait! Let me guess- you didn't!"

Mikey peered over Raph's shoulder, ignoring the hot headed turtle, choosing instead to watch Leo struggle to his feet on account of his bad foot, yet to his dismay, he saw that the eldest was trembling slightly.

"Leo?" Mikey cut through Raph's lecture, making him pause mid-sentence and follow Mikey's gaze.

Leo looked up sharply but then turned his back again, hiding his shaking hands from view, "What is it, Mikey?" he asked quietly.

The youngest moved past Raph and towards Leo.

"Hey, bro, I didn't want to do that- Don told me to- you know, to see your reaction or something…" he faded off lamely, knowing that he had just got Donnie in a heap of trouble. Leo reached for his crutch and without another word, he shoved his way past his brothers, heading towards Donnie's lab.

Even though he attempted not to show it on the outside, he was fuming. Donnie had breached an unspoken agreement he believed he had established. While he was healing, he did not wish to hear about the Kraang, nor to think they were standing close by and mocking him. The thoughts sent chills up his now shell less spine.

When he pushed open the lab door, he was relieved to see his brother alone, but this relief was instantly abolished by what Donatello said without even checking who was there.

"So, Mikey," he peered closer at his microscope, "How did the little experiment go?"

"I've had enough of experiments to last a lifetime Donnie." It took all of his will power not to scream these words, but rather state them calmly. It was also hard not to smile at the scientific turtle's face at these words. He jumped, attempted to gather himself; failed, so stood up, hands clasped in front of his shell.

"Leo- dude- I am _so_ sorry. I just needed to see what the damage was- you know- mentally- " Leo held up a hand.

"I get why you did it Donnie- but could you just please leave it alone until…" he faltered, he didn't really know when he would be able to think of the K word and not shiver, "Just not yet." As he finished, a hand was on his shoulder and Don's face was closer than what felt comfortable.

"Leo, this is exactly what I'm trying to find out. You mentioned drugs, and that's helped a lot in my analysis of your blood. You see I saw some weird component in the sample you gave me and I just couldn't work out what it is. You need to tell me everything, bro, or else you're not going to heal. And I don't mean physically either." He stated in his all-knowing way. But Leo wasn't listening. He was staring at the work bench where an array of sketches sat surrounded by pieces of metal.

"Donnie, what's all this?" he interrupted, gesturing at the bench.

Donnie blinked a couple of times before attempting to block Leo's line of sight. It didn't work. Leo caught a glimpse of one heading and read it out,

"Shell proto type- mark one." He gave his younger brother a questioning glare, the one which said 'spit-it-out-or-I-will-find-out-then-kill-you' "Donatello?"

The inventor sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I was thinking- with your permission of course- that maybe… Imightbeabletogiveyouashellagain." Leo shook his head in confusion, then rolled a finger to tell Donnie to get on with it. He tried again. "I just thought that maybe I might be able to create an artificial shell, as you know they're vital for our survival- insulation, protection- you get my drift?" he caught Leo's pale face and became concerned, "Um… Leo? Are you alright?"

"You could make me a shell?" he whispered, a slight trace of the determination and spirit he became leader because of flickered up in his eyes, "You could actually do that?!"

Donnie was taken back by this reaction, he had expected Raph like anger, not Mikey type joy.

It was peculiar.

"Well- yeah- I recon I could. It would probably be carbon fibre reinforced with aluminium plating. But it will take some time to create." Donnie looked into his brother's eyes, and realised he may have a way to break the tension, "And also- you look like a young, green Master Splinter in a Kimono."

Leo just stood for a moment before his eyes crinkled and he laughed, the first of its kind since he had been taken. Donnie joined in, picturing Leo as Splinter was pretty funny.

After a couple of minutes, the laughter died down and the elder of the turtles looked to his brother,

"Thanks." He smiled then walked off. Donnie knew what he was being thanked for and he was glad he had helped get a bit of spark back into his brother. Humming lightly to himself, Donnie returned to his work with fresh drive. If he could find a way to give Leo a shell- maybe it would give him his confidence back as well.

 **A bit dull that chapter- but I promise there'll be action in the next chapter!**

 **All I can think of to ask is this:**

 **Can Leo get over the month he spent in a cage?**

 **Will he get his shell back?**

 **Will he get his confidence back?**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	12. Leo's dreams

**Chapter 11**

It was night time, and Leo had headed off to bed, claiming he was tired, yet Raph had the feeling he wanted to avoid everyone after the incidents of the day.

He couldn't blame him, he would have done the same, yet only with more shouting and lashing out at things. He smiled, Leo would never do that.

But he was worried for his brother, after hearing what had happened to him in the month he was in Kraang hands/ tentacles- he was scared for Leo's sake. The eldest turtle had always been one to hide things, and after such a traumatic time, Raph was sure Leo would be best to confide in his brothers a bit more often.

There was a bang as Mikey followed Leo's lead, deciding it was time to sleep as there wouldn't be a patrol tonight.

Donnie shot Raph a look before heading off to his lab, Raph just pretended he hadn't seen and continued to stare at the TV, despite not taking anything in. It was barely a minute before metallic rings and bashes echoed out from the lab, signalling that Donnie was getting into a job. Raph waited another five minutes before flicking off the set and creeping over to Leo's room.

After he had been controlled by the shredder, Raph had suffered from nightmares. Eventually they got so bad he had to confide in someone- Master Splinter. Seeing how tense his brother had been that day, Raph felt certain he knew what Leo's dreams would be filled with. He sat guard outside, listening to the sound of deep breathing in the room when suddenly there was a bloodcurdling scream and instantly, Raph threw open the door…

 **A short time earlier**

 _He was falling, down and down in a spiralling tunnel full of sounds. Although he couldn't make out the words, Leo was certain some of the voices belonged to his brothers, this guess was also down to the shadowed faces of the turtles poking through the darkness every now and then._

 _There was a sudden clang and a cage appeared around the eldest turtle- the images of his brothers fading away. He reached out for them, yet shackles were forced onto his wrists and ankles, and to his horror, he felt the humiliating collar tighten around his throat. His stomach dropped as he saw a hundred gleaming needles draw closer, and now unable to move for the bonds on him- he felt the needles dive into every area of skin they could find._

 _FLASH!_

 _Leo was laying on his back, a smooth metal surface beneath him as an operating lamp burned brightly above. Slowly the table was raised into an upright position when a series of screams reached his ears. He looked in the direction of where they came from, and his heart stopped beating. Attached to three tables like himself, were Raph, Mikey and Donnie- all in the process of being deshelled. It was more gruesome than Leo had ever imagined, bits of blood, bone and shell littered around the forms of his screaming brothers._

 _He forced back the bile that was rising in his throat. They weren't even under anaesthetic- their forms writhing in pain, tears mingling with their blood._

 _Leo couldn't hold back anymore, he screamed, begging the Kraang to stop, yet a droid came up and slapped his face. He didn't stop, he continued to scream, shouting for his brothers, when two green hands gripped his shoulders and began shaking him._

 _"_ _Wake up, bro! WAKE UP!"_

Leo blinked, his throat feeling raw, as if someone had run a cheese grater down it.

"Raph?" he asked weakly, seeing a blur of red surrounding green eyes, a moment before he shot forward and heaved several times onto the floor until there was nothing left to expel.

"Leo- what the shell happened?" Raph asked lightly, worry slipping through his voice. He heard several sets of footsteps approach, yet when he turned round, seeing the panicked faces of his younger brothers and Sensei, he waved them back, understanding Leo would want privacy. Splinter nodded, and guided the two younger brothers away. Raph turned back to Leo who was now shaking.

"You want to speak about it?" he whispered, moving backwards and shutting the door.

Leo just shook his head, his eyes closed as he pulled his knees over his chest. He seemed afraid to open his mouth- that was until Raph sat down next to his brother, when Leo reached out tentatively and touched Raph's shell.

"You're fine…" he muttered shakily, it wasn't a question, more like a reassurance. Raph looked down at his brother's trembling hand and moved it away.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he meant it light-heartedly, yet sadly, he knew what the answer had to do with, the way Leo had been screaming his, Donnie's and Mikey's names sounded like they had been in danger.

Leo bit his lip and looked away sheepishly.

"It was just a dream." He attempted, yet Raph knew there was more to it than that.

"Listen Leo- if you don't speak-"

"I won't get better- Raph, please-" Leo's voice broke, "I'm the leader- I can't show weakness."

Raph had enough of comforting words and hugs and all that mushy stuff, so he stood and moved towards the door- hopping over the puddle of puke.

"Fine." He growled, "Be that way- let the dreams get worse and worse until you are forced to do something about it- and by that time- you are in a deep hole which is impossible to climb alone."

Leo gave a false laugh,

"Oh, and I guess Mr I'm-an-expert knows all about that, doesn't he?!"

"I do." Raph whispered, shocking his brother into silence, "After being under Shredders control, I kept having nightmares of him ordering me to kill you all- and guess what-" he and Leo locked eyes, "I had visions of _enjoying_ carrying out his orders. Flashes kept creeping up on me when we were training, and it got so bad I had to speak to Splinter. I thought I was going to kill you all."

"Raph- I'm-"

"No. Don't say anything. I just want you to know what happens." Raph stated flatly- reaching for the handle, yet Leo spoke up, quietly at first.

"I saw you and the guys being experimented on- like I was." A tear leaked out the corner of his eye as he recalled the scene. "You were all being ripped apart and put back together again. I couldn't do anything to help you…" he trailed off, looking helpless once more. "I finally escape, Raph, but only when I'm dragged out unconscious and then as soon as I wake up, I'm haunted by stupid memories!" His voice rose until it broke, "When's it going to end?" He finished in a voice barely audible.

Raph turned around and to Leo's surprise, his brother was smiling.

"You know Leo-" the red banded turtle sat down next to his brother, "when you usually get nightmares- you go and practise some katas don't you?"

The eldest looked slightly gobsmacked.

"How did you know?"

"If I can't sleep- I go down to the pit, and I sometimes hear you training. Did you know you mutter sometimes?" he added light-heartedly.

Leo smiled in response and with a hand from Raph, he stood up and limped over to the door.

"Let's do it." He smiled.

Together the two brothers left the room and as they emerged, Splinter, Mikey and Donnie were waiting outside.

Raph opened his mouth to speak- but Leo interrupted.

"Late night training session- Go!"

Without hesitation, the three other turtles ran to the dojo, ready to help their brother on his road to recovery, while Splinter helped Leo up the stairs- his ankle still giving him little bursts of pain.

Once the four brothers were knelt before their sensei, Splinter started his usual lecture.

"We all have limits and sometimes, limits must be stretched to improve. Tonight we will be practising some basic moves to make sure you are ready for anything. Leonardo- with Raphael. Donatello with Michelangelo." With a bow, the turtles split into their pairs, slowly going through each move to practise accuracy, and so that Leonardo wouldn't be too strained.

Raph noticed that throughout the practise, his brother's eyes were brightening and his fighting spirit was flaring back up. In his opinion, training was over too soon, and he saw the same feeling mirrored in Leo's eyes. Once his brothers had gone back to bed and Master Splinter resumed his meditation- Raph nudged Leo softly.

"One on one sparring session?" this suggestion was met with a nod and instantly, the two turtles prepared their stances for a relaxed fight.

With a nod from Leo, they leapt into action, Raph locking Leo's arms around his head, while Leo knocked Raph's knees so he feel, releasing his grip. Leo aimed a kick to Raph's shell, but it was deflected by his wrist and Raph countered with a knee to Leo's chest. The blow collided and all of a sudden there was a sharp crack and Leo froze, his face contorted in pain. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he sank to the floor, his fall sopped as Raph caught him.

The red banded turtle froze for a second then his brain finally got into gear.

"DONNIE! HELP!"

 **LEO! I'm sorry! wait- actually- I don't think I am! :)**

 **What happened?**

 **Will Donnie be able to help?**

 **Will Leo be alright?**

 **DUNDUNDUN!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	13. Mikey said yes, so we're going

**Chapter 12**

"Leo? Leo, come on, bro! Wake up!"

"Darwin's beard- what did you do to him, Raph?"

"I didn't do anything! We were just sparring…"

There was a pause,

"Really. You went into a full on _sparring session_ with him?!"

"It was his idea! He looked down so I-"

"Shh dudes! He moved!"

Groggily, Leo opened his eyes and three turtles and a rat were all staring down at him, Mikey directly above him, his orange mask confirming his identity. All of their outlines were a bit fuzzy.

"Leo?" Donnie knelt down, and as Leo tried to sit up- Donnie pushed him back down again, "It's best if you don't move while I patch you up."

Reluctantly Leo nodded, then turned to Raph- a small smile on his face,

"Hey, Raph- good counter move." Raph blinked in surprise yet a grin reached his lips as well. Leo could tell that his brother hadn't expected a compliment for injuring him.

Splinter patted Raph lightly on the shoulder and joined Donnie and Mikey on the dojo floor, looking from his eldest son to Donnie, who was silently mouthing words as he lightly probed Leo's shell less front.

He hovered over a certain spot then touched it with a little more weight, and it was like a fire had exploded inside of Leo's chest. He groaned and bit down on his lip to stop himself from crying out.

"Man! I'm sorry Leo!" Donnie removed his hand and looked worriedly down at his brother, "I think that I'm right in saying that you've cracked- possibly broken- a couple of ribs."

Everyone looked at Donnie in shock, and after a long moment Mikey spoke up.

"But I thought that wasn't possible for us." He muttered, tapping his fingers together, "I thought you said our she- oh." Mikey froze midsentence and snatched a look at his brother- getting what his directly older brother had implied.

Donnie ignored Mikey and put a hand under Leo's back.

"Raph, can you help, please. Mikey- can you get some lukewarm water, and Sensei- we'll need some bandages and padding. We'll be in the lab." Everyone moved instantly, used to following the scientific turtle's proposals without question when it came down to someone's health.

Once Mikey and Splinter had left the room, Raph knelt down on Leo's other side then looked to Donnie for an explanation.

"I didn't say this as I didn't want to worry Mikey, Leo, but I need to do some scans to check you didn't puncture a lung or any other vital organ." Leo paled but managed to keep a straight face,

"What happens if I have?" he stated evenly, hiding his concern.

Donnie chewed his lip as he thought. Finally he answered truthfully, "I'm not too sure, but I have a feeling if that was the case I would have to see how the organ has collapsed and if it is a lung, you may need to be on a ventilator while it heals naturally." He looked at Leo's confused face then added, "A machine which breathes for you."

Leo swallowed but didn't say anything, so Donnie turned to Raph.

"We need to move him to the lab, but we need to be careful as this is going to be really painful-" he shot his eldest brother a glance, "Sorry bro. Right, Leo- wrap your arms around your general rib area- I know it looks stupid- but if you move to reach for them while we move you- it's going to hurt even more." Leo apparently couldn't argue with the logic, so did as he was told. "Alright Raph- on three we sit him up- one, two, three-" and with that the two brothers lifted the third into a sitting position, and from the grimace on the eldest's face, Donnie was correct in saying the move would hurt.

Leo hissed, clenching his eyes shut for a long moment as his arm tightened around his ribs. He stayed that way for a while but when he opened his eyes he was smiling.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" he whispered, his voice shaky, and Raph and Donnie shared a grin.

Once the fire in his chest had subsided, Leo leant heavily on his brothers as they hoisted him to his feet, before heading off slowly to the lab where Splinter was already waiting.

Donnie instructed Leo to sit while he ran a scanner up and down his chest, tapping buttons and adjusting dials until he was apparently happy with the results he was getting, just as Mikey walking in- the bowl in his hands steaming so much it was surprising Mikey could actually see through the vapour- which, after Mikey tripped over his own feet, splashing some water onto Donnie, became apparent he couldn't.

Raph crossed his arms and shook his head as Donnie yelped in pain and rubbed his burnt arm.

"Don said _lukewarm,_ Mikey! Not fry your face off, boiling!"

"You said Luke warm- so I looked in the phone book and I couldn't find anybody call that!" Mikey pouted, "So I got some warm water. I hope this Luke dude has a phone if his water's that special." He finished in a mutter, wide eyes guilty looking.

Donnie sighed and rolled his eyes so only Leo and Raph could see then cocked his head towards Mikey, telling Raph to go with him. With a disgruntled groan, the hot headed turtle walked over to Mikey, pulling him back out of the lab to show him what Lukewarm really meant, leaving Donnie and Leo alone.

After a moment's silence, Donnie moved next to Leo again, checking his chest with the scanner again. Leo bit his lip, deciding whether or not to ask his burning question, but as Donnie prodded his chest lightly and the fire sparked up once again, he decided he would.

"Donnie?" he asked tentatively, "You've always said that we can't break our ribs as we're turtles- so-"

"So why did you?" Donnie finished, "Leo- I've said that as our shells protect our organs and they're stronger than normal skin or ribs, but since you've been…" he hesitated for a moment- "…deshelled… you haven't got the same protection." He looked up sadly- "that's why I was working on a design for a prosthetic shell, as when you're ready to go back into combat, you don't want to be disadvantaged."

Leo nodded in agreement, but inside he was focused on what his brother had just said. _When you're ready to go back into combat._ There had been no _if_ but sheer belief, and that had heartened Leo. He hadn't thought his brothers would think him as a warrior anymore due to his condition, but they still wanted him on the team. That meant something he couldn't put into words.

A second later Master Splinter walking in with bandages and padding with Raph and Mikey trailing behind.

"How's your arm, D?" Mikey asked guiltily, eying the red mark on Donnie's green skin.

"Fine." Came Donnie's short reply. "But I have some good news, Raph, you only managed to crack Leo's ribs rather than full on break them, but-" he turned sharply back to Leo- "No strenuous activity for the next week."

Leo blanched at this. He couldn't stay down here for another week! He was getting sewer fever- their version of cabin fever- and he needed to escape.

He waited until Donnie had carefully wrapped his ribs before he spoke.

"Tonight- we're going out on patrol." He stated.

The replies were mostly the same.

"Absolutely no!" Shouted Splinter.

"Are you even listening to yourself?!" Raph cried out, but there was a slight desperation in his eyes to get out of the lair.

"I forbid it!" Donnie waved a finger at Leo, surprised at his brother's recklessness.

"Aww, sweet!" Mikey yelled above everyone, "Patrol time!"

Leo smiled at his family,

"Mikey said yes, so we're going."

"Since when has that been a reasonable excuse?" Raph and Donnie asked at the same time.

"Since tonight. We leave at eight." Leo ordered as he stood, ignoring the dull throb of his ribs, "Time to watch out for the city again."

Out the corner of his eye, he saw his brothers exchange a glance, and he wondered if he was doing the right thing.

 **Sorry for boringness again- now the next chapter is where the action is happening, that's all I'm saying!**

 **SO:**

 **What's Leo's plan?**

 **Why is he desperate to get out there?**

 **Will everything go alright?**

 **"I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" says Leo.**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	14. If you take him- you have to take me too

**Chapter 13**

The moment the group began their usual running over the rooftops, Raph could tell his elder brother was regretting his decision. Although Donnie had wrapped Leo's ribs up tight, Raph could see him wincing with each step, so when Leo ran out in front, he had signalled to the two youngest to start walking- making it easier for their brother. Then there was also the whole issue with Leo's new kimono, he wasn't used to being restricted in his movements so scissor kicks would be out of the question even if his ribs weren't broken.

However, Raph had to hand it to Leo- he was trying his best to make up for the long weeks stuck looking for him and waiting for him to wake by having a night were they could all just relax without any stress about Leo.

"Right guys," Leo held up a hand, making a hand signal to stop with difficulty due to his cast, "What's the plan for tonight?" He turned around, hiding another wince unsuccessfully.

Mikey raised a hand.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's get pizza!" he placed a finger on his lip in thought, "Shall we get jelly bean, mushroom, garlic supreme with extra peperoni…" Mikey froze at the funny looks he was getting, "What! We haven't had anything to eat today and I'm starving!" he moaned, clutching his stomach.

Raph looked in Leo's direction and was pleased to see a smile upon his face at their little brother's antics.

"Fine-" Leo gave in, "Who wants pizza?" the vote was unanimous so the group began to move towards the edge of the building when suddenly there was a metallic beep and Leo visibly tensed.

"It is the ones known as the turtles." One voice droned and as one the youngest three brothers drew their weapons creating a protective circle around Leo.

"Agreed, Kraang. Kraang must capture the one which was not meant to escape in order to finish the experiment, known as the experiment of Kraang." Another robot standing next to the first commented, making Raph's blood boil.

"You are not taking him back!" Raph yelled, throwing one sai into the second robot's head to prove his point before running into the growing fold of Kraang droids to begin his assault.

Donnie looked over his shoulder and noticed that Leo had sunk to the ground, shaking violently. He knew that he couldn't do anything to help Leo's panic attack during the middle of a fight and Raph needed him. He turned to Mikey.

"Stay with Leo- speak to him, try to get him to calm down." He ordered, receiving a nod in confirmation. He looked down at Leo grimly for a moment then shook his head, running into the group of Kraang droids, staff out and ready to attack. It pained him to leave his brother in such a sorry state, and the severity of the shaking only began to suggest how badly Leo had been treated by the Kraang.

Mikey watched his brothers destroy the bots as he knelt down beside Leo.

"Hey, bro! Get it together dude!" he shook Leo softly but his eldest brother just knelt there shaking. It was then Mikey realised his lips were moving so he leaned in closer in an attempt to hear what Leo was saying.

" _Don't let them take me… Not back there… Anything but dimension X…_ " Mikey pulled away and grasped his numchucks, hitting a lone Kraang droid away then returned to Leo's side.

"We'll protect you bro! Chill- we've got this! Just you wait- we'll-" Suddenly Mikey froze midsentence. He felt a sharp prick on his arm and as he looked down he saw a small dart sticking out of his arm. "Oh no…" he managed to groan before he felt his limbs turn to jelly and he fell to the ground, his numchucks clattering beside him.

The last thing he saw was Leo's shocked face before the darkness took him.

It took the others a couple of seconds to realise Mikey was down, Donnie being the first then alerting Raph with a shout.

Donnie started towards Leo and Mikey, yet fire from a blaster hit his staff, narrowly avoiding his face, forcing him to turn. As he did so he felt a prick on his neck yet as he pulled it free his vision went blurry.

"Raph!" he shouted, his voice fuzzy to his ears, "They have tranq…uil…isers…" he barely managed to get out before he fell to the floor, the same way Mikey had.

Hearing his brother's warning Raph ran in the direction of Leo, head bent low so he was mostly protected by his shell, yet he saw several darts whizz past him, one brushing his arm, yet thankfully not sinking in. He skidded to a stop by his brother's side and stood between Leo and the Kraang.

"If you take him- you have to take me too!" Raph yelled to the robots and to his surprise this caused them to pause in their advance.

"That is what is known as: a good plan." One Kraang stated, cocking it's head.

"Affirmative. Take them both!" another yelled and a burst of gun fire struck up. Raph lifted his arms to protect himself yet several darts sank into his skin. He instantly fell to the floor and before his vision faded, he reached out to Leo and to his relief, his brother had stopped shaking. The brothers clasped hands just as all sensation left Raph.

 _If you want him, you have to take me too…_

 _Don't worry Leo- I'll be with you this time…_

 **Sorry it's taken so long to update!**

 **I will be working on the next couple of chapters in the next couple of weeks!**

 **So:**

 **Will the Kraang take Raph too?**

 **What will the aliens do to Leo now?**

 **How will Mikey and Donnie get to them?**

 **What's going to happen next?!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	15. SHUT UP AND LISTEN!

**Chapter 14**

When Donnie woke up his first thought was reserved for his pounding headache brought on by either the fall to the ground or the tranquiliser darts. His second was for his brothers.

He struggled to his feet on wobbly legs and scanned the roof, yet to his surprise, _two_ of his brothers were missing. True, he had expected to find Leo missing, yet now Mikey had disappeared as well.

Turning, Donnie heard his remaining brother groan, and with a last confused glance around the roof top to check for Mikey, only to find the weapons of their missing siblings.

Donnie went over to Raph's side.

"Raph?" The scientific turtle gently shook his brother's shoulders, receiving another groan. Donnie was about to try again when his directly older brother's eyes fluttered open.

For a moment Raph's eyes were dazed, then hard, and then suddenly they widened.

"Donie?" Raph sat up holding his head, telling Donnie he was not the only one with a stomping headache from the tranquilizers. "Leo?" he asked, despite already knowing the answer.

Donnie shook his head. "Gone. Mikey is as well. The Kraang took both of them." He chewed his lip silently, "I wonder why they did that…" He muttered, yet he paused his contemplation once he saw Raph's eyes widen.

"Raph?" he asked, "What happened?"

His elder brother clenched his fists in fustration and for one terrifying moment, Doniie was certain Raph was going to lash out at him. Instead, the hot headed turtle slammed a fist onto the floor with a heartfelt cry of anger. In all honesty, Donnie didn't know which would have been scarrier.

"I told them if they were going to get Leo- then they had to take me too." He bowed his head, "I didn't realise they were going to take Mikey instead, and now-" Raph looked up, his eyes full of concern for his baby brother, "Now Mikey's going to be trapped in that horrid place!"

Donnie blinked at Raph's show of emotion, but he too harboured the same feelings about their brother's being trapped in the Kraang facility once more. He stood and moved over to where Mikey's numbchucks and Leo's swords lay and picked them up. He placed Mikey's numbchucks in his belt and gave the swords to Raph to hold.

"Well then, it's a good thing we'll be able to track them." Donnie grimly smiled.

Raph stood as well.

"What do ya mean?"

Donnie knew he would have to explain his secert plan at some stage, however he knew Raph would be the one to react in the worst way.

"Well…" Donnie started, "When we were fixing Leo up and removed that chip, I may have…"

"You may have what, Donnie?"

Donnie took a breath.

"I may have implanted a tracker chip in Leo's foot which was directly coded to my Tphone- OW! What the shell, Raph!" Donnnie recoiled, holding his cheek where Raph had punched him.

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"Raph- let me explai-"

"What! That you IMPLANTED a freekin' CHIP into our brother? That you EXPERIMENTED on him like the KRAANG!"

"Raph man- please, just-"

"JUST WHAT!"

"SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" Donnie screamed back, shocking Raph into silence. Donnie hardly ever screamed, and this gave him a chance to explain. "I did it because I figured that what the Kraang were doing was too important for them to let Leo go. They would come back for him and I thought if I placed a chip in his foot- where the old Kraang one was- then we could get him back much quicker."

Raph nodded, accepting what he heard made sense.

Donnie pulled out his Tphone and the Kraang portal, typed some coordinates in and opened the portal up.

"Let's go save our brothers." Donnie jumped through, and with a small yet determined smile, Raph followed suit.

 **Sorry for the long wait, but I have nearly finished the draft on paper! That means I shall be able to update sooner than usual for the next couple of weeks!**

 **Hope you aren't hating Donnie now!**

 **I'll update tomorrow and** **thank you** **to all who have reviewed!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	16. they will want revenge

**Chapter 15**

The moment Leo's eyelids opened, he knew where he was. He was in the Kraangg detention facility once more, but this time, something was different.

One of his brothers was with him.

From their fifteen years together, Leo could easily distinguish each turtle's breathing from another, and instantly he knew the brother with him was the youngest. Michalangelo.

Shifting, Leo felt the coolness of the wretched metal collar and the taughntness of the chain which held it to the cage wall. He wouldn't be able to move much, yet thankfully the sounds of Mikey's whimpering breathing was coming from the cage nearest to his chained form. He turned to the next cage and what he saw made his heart freeze.

Inside was the huddled form of Michalangelo- his baby brother. Yet he was chained too- an identical collar was attached to Mikey's neck, holding him close to the bars. It was a position Leonardo never wanted to see any of his brother's in.

Once he had found his voice, and cleared his face of all pain from his cracked ribs, he whispered into the next cage.

"Mikey! Wake up!"

There was a moan then his brother suddenly jumped awake in a mass of failing limbs and a panicked,

"I didn't over sleep! It wasn't me! Blame Raph!" then Mikey saw him.

Leo smiled and reached through the bars as much as he could and managed to touch Mikey's hand. His brother's eyes eventually flashed in recognition of the place and he moved his hand across to take Leo's.

"Are you alright?" Mikey asked, concern written all over his face.

"Fine." Leo replied, hiding the pain from his ribs as he twisted round a bit more, "Are you?" Mikey nodded.

"What's going to happen now?" he whispered back, taking in their collars and cages. "Do they bring food or what?" he smiled at the joke but froze as he recalled Leo's freak out in the kitchen back in the lair.

Leo shook his head sadly.

"I have no idea for you…" he let the statement hang in the air between them.

"I can handle it Leo. I won't let them hurt you again!" Mikey's innocent face hardened, the same look often had in serious fights.

Leo gave him a reassuring smile.

"I know you can." He paused again, not wanting to tell Mikey about what he knew. It was only when Mikey gestured for Leo to continue that he began to explain everything, and with every word, Mikey was shocked.

"Basically the Kraang have decided that after I brought down their technadrome and after we stopped their invasion plans, if they could control _me_ then they could control us." He sighed, "Once they realised they couldn't change my mind through beatings and by my own choice they wanted to see how much I could endure as the leader." He then explained to Mikey about the drugs made him see him killing those he loved and how the Kraang had been impressed with his resilience. "That was when the experiments started." Leo recalled gravely, his hand beginning to tremble slightly in Mikey's grip, but he never stopped his tale. "They wanted to create clones for a mutant army. Their theory was if we could take them down, then an army of clones based on my DNA- me-" he quickly added for Mikey's sake, "Could take over Earth for them. But to do that, they wanted a refined warrior, one which were adaptable and prepared for battle without any other purpose. They wanted to get rid of my emotions- overthrow my beliefs and loyalties and break my spirit so I could be a willing test subject for their plans. They were about to begin the final stage when you guys rescued me." He sucked in a shaky breath, "Basically you messed up their plans and they will want revenge."

 **OOOH! There you have it- the Kraang's master plan!**

 **what do you all think?**

 **What's going to happen to Leo now?**

 **And Mikey?**

 **Will the guys rescue them?**

 **DUN DUN DUN!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	17. doughnuts

**Chapter 16**

Mikey gripped his brother's hand tighter, amazed at how much Leo had been hiding from them all, at what he had been stressing about.

"Why didn't you tell us, dude?" Mikey questioned. He always knew that Leo kept things to himself, yet this was huge. It sounded like something out of one of his comic books.

"I… I guess I didn't want to show you guys what danger you were putting yourselves into by bringing back home…" Mikey saw his eldest brother blush slightly in the darkness, "I know how selfish it seems, but-"

"Hey, hey hey!" Mikey interrupted, suddenly falling back to a whisper at Leo's scared gaze out the cage, "It wasn't selfish bro- we wouldn't have kicked you out anyway!"

Leo smiled slightly and opened it mouth to say something, when there was a sound of approaching footsteps. The footsteps paused then there was a soft whump noise as something fell into Mikey's cage through the bars. The footsteps then moved away.

Mikey released Leo's hand and looked down towards the mysterious object. When he saw it, his little heart quickened it's beat in joy. It was pizza! An actual pizza!

He grinned and with his foot- as his movements were restricted by the collar- he pulled the food towards him, and once it was less than an arm's length away, he picked it up and took a large bite.

It was peperoni, and what's more- it was still warm! Mikey turned to his brother's cage and offered him a bite, yet to his surprise, Leo's face was mask of pure terror. He saw Leo mouth something which looked along the lines of "doughnut".

Mikey shrugged and for some reason his shoulders felt extremely heavy. He relpied with a "Nope- PIZZA!" Yet his entire face felt numb.

Suddenly, he felt himself grip the metal collar, and with a strength he did not know he processed, he ripped it from his throat, not even rubbing his skin in the process. He stood and turned to the front bars of the cage when he saw Donnie and Raph run up to them.

"In here, Raph!" Donnie called, "Can you cut the bars?"

With a determined nod Raph moved forwards, sais raised and instantly, Mikey's vision turned red. Raph. His second eldest brother and sadistic maniac. He was always looking down to Mikey, calling him names, beating him up and now Mikey had had enough. Here he came- faking concern yet in reality the red banded turtle only cared about Leo!

With a roar of frustration, Mikey gripped the bars and with his new found strength, he ripped then out of their settings. _Let's see Leo do that!_ Mikey silently mocked, yet the looks on Donnie and Raph's faces were priceless.

"Mikey! Stop it!" He heard Leo shout, however his eyes were fixed solely on Raph.

"Raph…" Mikey growled, hefting one bar up in his hands, and to his delight, Raph looked frightened. Served him right!

Lifting the bar high above his head as his brothers stepped into the cage, hands out stretched, Mikey moved closer to Raph.

"Mikey- what are you-" Raph started, but he never finished. Mikey slammed down the bar onto the hot headed turtle's head.

The crunch was sickening, but in Mikey's red world it was glorious. It sent a jolt of pleasure through his system and he watched with a smile as Raph fell to the floor- his face frozen in shock as blood cascaded down his head. He stilled before he even hit the floor.

Now Donnie was hyperventilating.

"Mikey! What in the-" but Mikey had already made up his mind. Donnie was always so big headed, down grading Mikey and making out like he was the smartest one through his constant bragging. It made Mikey feel useless.

Now it was his turn to hold the power.

The bar smashed down through Donnie's not so big head and if it were possible- the crunch was even louder- even more pleasurable than Raph's. The explosion of blood was greater by far, and the bar caved in the entire top half of his directly older brother's head- reducing it to a gory mush.

Finally, Mikey could celebrate how he would never again be the screw up.

"MIKEY!" he heard Leo shout from beside him- apparently no longer afraid about the Kraang hearing. "Mikey, snap out of it!" His eldest begged, but in the red haze, the sound created a final task.

Once again, Mikey lifted the bar up high and he moved towards the side of the cage, ready to strike his final brother through the bars, when slowly, the red of Mikey's world changed.

The red faded to crimson, which melted into black.

He dropped the bar so it landed on Leo- releasing a scream of agony, but it did not finish him.

Mikey recalled Leo's earlier words- the thing which looked like "doughnut."

Now Mikey understood, as his sight faded, Leo wasn't asking about the type of food.

He was saying "Don't."

Now Mikey knew why.

 **NOOOO!**

 **How can I do this?! (quite easily that's how!)**

 **Poor old Mikey!**

 **What's going to be Leo's reaction?**

 **What's Mikey going to do when he wakes?**

 **What's Splinter going to say when he finds out?!**

 **Tell me your thoughts!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	18. The stage known as removal

**Chapter 17**

It had been horrific for Leo when the Kraang came to take him and Mikey, not just because of what he had just witnessed, but because they had taken Mikey in the opposite direction to himself.

They had been seperated.

Whatever horrors Mikey had just been overcome by had taken hold badly, even making him pass out after the attack, and Leo knew when he awoke, Mikey would need to talk to someone. He did not wish to leave his youngest brother to face the torments that he would soon meet alone.

The Kraang took Leo from the cell to a labritory- the small alone alerted him to this fact, and here they bound him to a table, strapping down his limbs. He didn't even attempt to struggle for during his month long capture he had tried many times, none of which led to anything.

As one, the droids all left the room and the lights dimmed, Leo cranned his neck to try and see what was going one when the table suddenly jolted, and lifted upwards. Now Leo could see through the glass wall infront of him and into a room.

Leo's breath hitched.

Inside the room, there was a figure slumped against the far wall, their arms and legs bound by chains and another collar was clipped around their neck.

Mikey.

But what had shocked Leo the most was how several Kraang droids were dripping red substance aound Mikey and onto his limbs.

The same thing had happened to Leo during his capture.

When Leo had told Splinter that he had wanted to die after the visions stopped, he hadn't told the full story. He didn't even want to recall how good it had felt to see himself kill his brothers and how when he awoke he had been locked in a room, similar to Mikey's, chained and the illusion of blood scattered around him.

It was by far the worst experience of his life, and now, now he was being forced to watch Mikey go through the same horrors as he had.

Instantly Leo began to buck, attempting everything he could to break them and alert his brother that what he was about to witness was not real, that the sights around him had been faked and that whatever he had seen was not his fault.

Yet the metal bonds on his limbs did not give.

All together the droids in the other room stopped what they were doing and left the room, slamming the door behind them- stiring Mikey.

Leo watched as his baby brother's eyes flickered open, then widdened as the memories from before bagan to trickle back to his brain. Leo didn't have to be able to hear what was going on for he had gone through the exact same process.

The youngest turtle then glanced around and upon seeing the supposed blood around him and on his hands, Leo watched Mikey break down into fits of tears, his lips forming the names of his brothers- including the one which he could not see.

It was torture, complete and utter torture.

"LET ME OUT YOU COWARDS!" Leo screamed, "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE! TAKE ME BUT LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!"

Then, much to Leo's supprise. Several Kraang droids entered the lab,moving towrads Leo with their metalic footsteps giving away their position.

Leo felt himself begin to move again, this time the table moved back down, obsucring Mikey from his line of sight.

"That which is known as stage one has been completed by Kraang."

"Confirmed, Kraang. Now the subjcet will be ready for the stage known as removal."

Leo tensed.

"Um… Excuse me Kraang?"

"Yes." All seven of the droids answered.

"What do you mean by removal?"

"The stage known as removal," the droid explained in a monotone voice, "Will be the stage where the subject will have those known as eyes removed for the plan known as Kraang's plan." Leo froze. He didn't even watse any thoughts hoping he wasn't the subjects for the droids were holding various pieces of sergical equipment. They wanted to remove his eyes…

"Um…" Leo couldn't hide the wavering in his voice, "why?"

Another Kranng stepped forward holding out a strange metal device.

"The best warrior will be that known as blind to all distractions and the sensation known as anger will turn the subject into an efficant weapon."

It was fair to say Leo felt sick now.

The Kraang with the metal contraption bent over Leo and attached the metal thing to the table. Some pincer like probes folded down, hovering over Leo's eye for a moment before a droid hit a button and the pincer snapped down hard.

Leo screamed.

 **DUN DUN DUN!**

 **What's going to happen now?**

 **Are the guys still alive then?**

 **Will anyone rescue them?**

 **What's going on with Mikey?**

 **REVIEWS! I NEED REVIEWS!**

 **Thanks for the continued support!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	19. Let it all out

**JUST TO SAY: THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE REVIEWED- I'VE GOT OVER 100 NOW THANKS TO YOU GUYS! This is for all you awesome readers!**

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **Chapter 18**

The moment Donnie emerged from the portal, he had pulled an odd looking device from his belt, a small screen with a small bleeping dot on it. Raph appeared behind Donnie and watched as the dot pulsed. It looked almost like a-

"Leo's heartbeat." Donnie announced proudly, noticing his brother staring at the dot. "It tells us how Leo's vitals are from a distance away as well as where he- Oh no."

The dot suddenly began to pulse more quickly than before.

"Um- Don?" Raph noticed his brother's tension in his shoulders, "What's happening?"

Donnie looked up, eyes wide with worry,

"Leo's hyperventilating- but- but I don't know why…"

"Well let's just stand here and think about it, shall we?" Raph snapped, "FOLLOW THE BLEEPING MONITOR!"

Donnie swallowed but Raph's outburst just focused his mind.

"Alright, this way."

It didn't take long for them to get close to Leo's dot due to the signs all around the facility screaming " _project cloning in progress. Keep clear!_ "

So the brothers walked straight past.

The first room they came to had a thick metal door with a tiny glass window pane at head level. Raph peered through and nearly dropped his sais.

Inside was his baby brother but he was sobbing, curled up in the corner, apparently covered by… no… _blood_?

"Hey, Don?" Raph hissed, managing to hide his fear from Donnie who had continued walking, absorbed in his device, "Mikey's here!"

Donnie nodded without hearing, froze, then came rushing back to begin picking the lock.

There was a small beep and the door swung open, making Mikey look up.

Raph expected his little brother's face to light up and for him to cheer or make some form of joke. What he didn't expect was reality.

The moment Mikey looked up, his eyes widened and he scrambled backwards as far as the chains- which Raph could now see bound him to the wall- would let him.

"I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" Mikey howled from his place cowering in the corner, "get away before it happens again!" Raph and Donnie could only stare horrified as Mikey sobbed his tiny heart out, muttering regrets under his breath.

It was Donnie who found his voice first.

"Mikey- it's us- Donnie and Raph- you're brothers."

Mikey looked at him in fear as Donnie moved closer, arms held up in peace.

"I know who you are," Mikey whispered sorrowfully, "How can I forget after what I did to you!" Donnie was confused but all the same knelt down next to his deranged sounding brother.

"Mikey, calm down. We're fine- you didn't do anything to us." Donnie placed a hand on Mikey's and all of a sudden Mikey froze- stared into Donnie's eyes and whispered.

"You're alive?"

"Shouldn't we be?" Raph joked half heartedly joining the others on the floor.

Mikey looked from Donnie to Raph and back again. He swallowed then threw himself at his brothers, holding them tight and sobbing his heart out, yet this time in happiness and relief.

Taken aback, the older two brothers exchanged a glance before returning the affections, and for a long moment they just sat there, up until Raph pulled out a sai and cut off Mikey's chains.

Donnie ran a finger through what they had all thought as blood and sniffed it. Mikey watched puzzled.

"Stage blood." Donnie reported, "Very realistic looking but not real."

Mikey visibly sagged in relief.

"Um, Mikey?" Raph finished cutting the last chain, "What happened to you?"

Mikey looked at his brothers for a long moment before muttering,

"The food."

"Do what?" Raph sighed.

Mikey's eyes widened in apparent realisation, "You remember how Leo said they put stuff in the food?" None of the brothers could actually forget the terrifying scenes of Leo cowering from food, "Well, I may have had some Pizza they gave me and…" he shuddered, "It must have been what Leo felt like and saw…" His voice faltered, "It was horrible, dudes…"

Raph recalled what Leo had said about the visions of killing everyone he loved and Raph pulled Mikey into a hug.

"It's alright baby bro." he whispered, "Let it all out." He immediately felt Mikey begin to shake as he started to cry, but through his sobs he told his brothers of the visions of red, how he had killed and enjoyed it while everyone else remained powerless.

By the end neither Raph nor Donnie had any thing to say for a while.

"I'm sorry." Mikey muttered.

"It wasn't your fault." Donnie reassured him, "It was all the drugs. We know you would never kill, let alone enjoy doing so. The drugs mess with your systems so it feels like you did. None of it was you."

Mikey visibly relaxed and once he had fully composed himself he took his numbchucks from Donnie and together they left the fake blood coated room.

"Hey Mikey." Raph nudged him, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about beating you up…"

"Yeah, and I'm sorry for being such a know it all…" Donnie added, recalling Mikey's confessions.

Mikey smiled and threw an arm around both of his brothers,

"Hey- it was the drugs- none of it was real. We are cool."

Raph smiled,

"So does that mean I can do- THIS!" He wrapped an arm around Mikey's neck and his little brother began to laugh.

"Guys!" Donnie hissed, "Quiet! Leo should be just next door!" he put the monitor away.

They reached the next door in silence and froze as they looked through the window.

"Oh man…" Mikey breathed.

"What are they doing?" Donnie growled.

Raph pressed a hand to the glass.

"Leonardo…"

 **POOR OLD MIKEY!**

 **So:**

 **What can they see through the window?**

 **Is Mikey going to be ok?**

 **Will the Kraang let Leo go again?**

 **AND OF COURSE:**

 **Will they get Leo back?!**

 **Enjoy and I'll update within a week!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	20. Oh no…

**Chapter 19**

Behind the glass the three brothers could see their fourth strapped to a table by all for limbs, his chest, neck and forehead. Around him were seven Kraang droids, all with a variety of surgical tools and evil determined looks on their brain like faces.

But what weas most horrific was how one droid had a scaple in Leo's skin, right by the eye, and was seemingly in the process of taking the organ out.

Raph told Mikey to look away, but he knew it was too late. The image would be forever seared into their collective brains.

Raph made the first move- blinded by pure fury he pushed open the door and charged in, cutting up Kraang left, right and centre. Mikey joined his brother, attempting to block out the shape of Leo lying still by spinning around during his attacks.

Meanwhile, Donnie quickly finished off the Kraang droid with the scalpel before turning his attention to his eldest brother. To his up most horror, he saw Leo was still conscious, his eye not held open by the pincer like gadget swivelling around the room, following his brothers, then Donnie.

The skin around the eye had been sliced open, the organ half exposed and blood shot.

"Sorry Leo." He quickly apologised. He knew he would need to stitch the skin up before they cut him loose, or else risk damaging the organ. Donnie found a needle and began to sew up the flaps of skin- holding down bile as he did so- then removed the metal pincers, allowing Leo to close his eye. Once he had finished he placed a circular gaze over the wound and found a jar labelled 'morphine.' He measured out a good dose and shot it into Leo's arm, instantly making Leo relax slightly. He had obviously been in a vast amount of pain.

Donnie turned to see Raph and Mikey watching, the two brothers in each other's embrace, Mikey for comfort, Raph in order to cool his anger. Seeing their scientific brother had finished, they moved forth to cut Leo loose, helping him up due to his injured state.

As Raph and Donnie took his weight, Leo's good eye opened slightly and he whispered,

"Mikey?" The youngest turtle stepped forward and embraced Leo who in return could only weakly place an arm around his shoulders. "I saw what they did to you…" His voice grew steadily stronger.

"I'm cool!" Mikey grinned, "Never eat Kraang food- hey Leo!" In response, Leo cracked a small grin, amazed at his brother's ability to stay positive for the others. However, he knew Mikey would have nightmares tonight- he could see the waver in his eyes which had probably gone unnoticed to the others. Suddenly, Leo's good eye widened and the others followed his line of sight to the far wall. A Kraang droid, missing both legs and an arm- reached up and pressed a large red button. Raph rapidly let loose a throwing star, cutting the droid's remaining arm clean off, yet the effect was instant.

The entire facility began to tremble, the ground and walls shaking so much the jars on the shelves began to tinkle then drop to the floor.

"What's happening?!" Donnie yelled to no one in particular over the growing racket.

Leo shook his head in disgust, releasing Mikey.

"Self-destruct." He sighed through the morphine, "If an experiment fails or escapes- they blow up the entire facility."

Raph and Mikey swapped nervous looks, but Donnie grinned smugly in his classic, 'I-know-something-you-don't' look.

"You have another portal?" Leo guessed correctly, giving Donnie a smile.

Donnie nodded and pulled the portal from his belt pocket and opened his mouth.

"I bet the Kraang didn't expect us to have two!"

He froze his celebration as his eyes widened terrified, for the ceiling began to collapse. He quickly opened the portal and began to move his brothers towards it when a crack louder than any proceeding it echoed through the lab. A boulder much larger than any before detached itself from behind the ceiling panels. The brothers could only watch in slow motion as the boulder fell through the air towards them and the portal. They wouldn't reach it in time.

Leo jumped into action, his determination to save his brothers conquering his injured state. He pushed his brothers out of the way- throwing them clear just as the boulder landed with a large _Crack!_ Throwing out a cloud of dust.

Blinking and coughing, Raph stood, waving his hands to try to clear the air. Thankfully he could count all three other heads, showing the m must have all been thrown clear.

"Guys…" Leo groaned, sounding pained- probably from his wounds.

"We're alright." Raph reported, watching Mikey and Donnie stand up, dusting themselves off.

"Yeah, thanks to you." Donnie coughed.

"Yep- thanks Leo-" Mikey froze as the dust lifted, revealing the eldest turtle.

"Oh no…" Donnie breathed.

 **Another DUN DUN DUN moment!**

 **What do you think has happened?**

 **Will they escape?**

 **WHY AM I SUCH A MEAN AUTHOR!?**

 **Thanks to all who have reviewed! Let's try to beat my reviews for the truth taken away story!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	21. I'm… no… good to you… like this…

**Chapter 20**

"Leo!" Raph stumbled through the dust and debris which lay scattered across the floor, sliding to his knees next to his face down brother, checking his pulse.

"I… I… can't feel… my legs…" Leo gasped, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth as he wriggled his torso slightly, attempting to free himself.

The three youngest turtles could only stare at their brother- the strong, fearless leader, Leonardo, who now lay battered, bloodied and pinned by a giant boulder which had landed directly onto his unprotected back.

"I'll get you out, bro!" Raph grunted, his eyes wide, getting ready to pull Leo loose when Donnie placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't." his voice was flat, expressionless. "If he can't feel his legs it may mean spinal damage… Unless you want to cause full blown paralysis we have to free him a different way."

Raph saw the fear in Leo's eyes and stepped back, shoulders slumped in defeat.

The room was still trembling, telling Donnie they didn't have much time to free their brother. He pushed this thought aside, they couldn't rush this unless they wanted to cause Leo more injury.

"Mikey, attach your kusarigama chains to the rock next to Leo, Raph," Donnie held out his bō staff, "Wedge this under the rock while I create a levy for the chains."

Leo had passed out during this exchange, so Donnie checked his pulse again and shook his head sadly. He had no clue on how to fix spinal damage, but that wouldn't stop him trying.

Raph swapped places with Donnie, since he was stronger in the arms, while Mikey prepared to pull Leo free.

"Ready." Mikey called above the rumbling.

"Ready!" Repeated Raph, gripping the chains.

"Ok- on three-" Donnie shifted his weight on the staff, "Three, two, one. HEAVE!"

As one, Donnie pushed on his staff, Raph pulled on the chains and as the boulder lifted, Mikey pulled the eldest turtle free, keeping his eyes fixed on his face rather than the area which had been crushed. As soon as Leo's feet were freed, the boulder dropped back down, throwing up another dust cloud, yet this time it revealed all turtles accounted for and free from boulders.

As Raph retrieved the weapons, Donnie checked the eldest turtle.

Leo's lower body was a mass of bleeding wounds from the jagged rock and his back was bleeding profusely.

Donnie looked at his brother, suddenly realising how broken he appeared, both from the earlier torture and now from the news he could be paralyzed from the waist down.

As if hearing his thoughts, Leo stirred, blinking as he realised he was now free. His lips moved but at first no sound came out, and it was only when Donnie leant closer could he hear what Leo was saying.

"… Leave… me… only… weigh… you… down…."

Donnie hardened his gaze and snapped at Leo.

"We just did all that effort of freeing you and now you want us to leave you! No turtle left behind- that's the rule!"

Leo looked helplessly at his brother then turned his gaze down in despair.

"I'm…. no… good to.. you… like this…."

Donnie softened, he knew that it had been hard for Leo to admit this, but all the same, they were running out of time.

"We don't care Leo- you're our brother," he lowered his voice so only Leo could hear, "Besides, it might only be temporary, and if it isn't- you know I'll do everything I can." Donnie was pleased that this brought a grateful- genuine smile to his brother's face and he muttered a quiet,

"Thank you."

Donnie stood and stepped back, allowing Raph to pick up Leo, helping him onto his back so he could be near his precious swords as well, and together the brothers left the destroyed lab of horrors to search for another Kraang portal.

"There's got to be a main portal in the facility." Donnie explained as they ran, "They need one to bring Leo and Mikey here."

"Sorry.. I couldn't... save the… portal…" Leo breathed into Raph's ear, bringing a smile to the hot headed turtle's lips.

It was typical for Leo to apologise for saving everyone from a certain death instead of the portal.

"Hey…" Raph huffed as he ran, "As long, as we are all… here right?"

He felt Leo nod into his shell.

Up front Donnie suddenly skidded to a halt before turning direction and shooting up another corridor, the route they were following had been blocked by rubble.

Eventually, after several such changes in direction the brothers entered the purple lit portal chamber which had been abandoned by any Kraang droids.

Their escape was reasonably easy- which was surprising after all they had been through- save for Donnie having to program the portal- with Mikey's help- to land them in a dark alley way which led to the lair in case they could be tracked to their landing location.

Mikey went through first, closely followed by Raph with Leo then, just before Donnie jumped through, he pulled a marker pen from his pocket and scrawled a message onto the control panel. He gave a grim smile then followed his brothers through.

As he vanished, a rock fell from the ceiling, knowing the controls and shutting down the portal. The rock bounced, and landed next to Donnie's message:

"Project clone turtles is finished. By order of Kraang Prime."

 **THEY HAVE LEO! YAY!**

 **SO here are the questions:**

 **\- Will Donnie's message stop the Kraang?**

 **\- Will Donnie be able to help Leo?**

 **\- What will Splinter say?**

 **\- Will Mikey have a nightmare?**

 **I'll update as soon as possible but it's coming up to mocks weeks so I am limited for the time I can spend on this... Sorry in advance.**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	22. I am proud

**Chapter 21**

When Donnie landed, Mikey had already lifted the manhole cover and was helping Raph take Leo down to the sewers.

Donnie pulled out his T-phone and dialled Splinter's cheese phone.

" _Mushi mushi._ " Splinter's voice came through.

For a moment Donnie didn't know what to say.

"Sensei- I- we…" then his voice gave out again. Now Raph and Leo had descended into the sewers and Mikey was waving to him to follow. He did, shutting the lid behind him and following closely behind his brothers.

" _Donatello?_ " Splinter eventually picked up the hollow words, "What has happened."

Finally Donnie found his voice.

"We were ambushed by the Kraang and they took Mikey and Leo. We followed and rescued them but…"

"What do you need me to prepare?" Splinter kindly finished what he knew Donnie was going to say.

"I need the mattress drawn closer to the work bench, scalpels, morphine, bandages and antiseptic cream…"

" _Which of your brothers?_ "

"… Leo, Sensei… Mikey has no physical wounds…" He left the words about Mikey hang in the air- letting their father know that there could be deeper problems.

 _"_ _What of Leonardo_?"

"… Spinal damage…" was all Donatello could say. He swallowed, hating the distressed silence on the other end. "We're almost home."

Splinter let Donnie know he would prepare the lab before signing off.

"What was that about, D?" Mikey asked, falling alongside his directly older brother.

"Master Splinter is just preparing my lab for me. I'll need to act as quickly as possible if I'll have any chance of helping Leo…"

Mikey blinked, fear showing in his wide eyes. He looked ahead and realised Raph and Leo were far enough away that they wouldn't over hear.

"What'll happen to Leo?" Mikey's voice was very small and scared.

Donnie thought of the best way to put it.

"It depends on how bad the damage actually is…" he eventually began, "If it's minor trauma to his spine, he may have temporary paralysis, but with the extent of the damage I've seen…" He trailed off.

"I hate the Kraang!" Mikey suddenly, fiercely stated.

Donnie turned his attention to his little brother, Mikey very rarely admitted he hated someone or something with pure venom in his voice.

"Mikey-" he began, but he was cut off.

"NO Donnie! I'm not stupid! I saw what happened to Leo and what happens if he can't…" his words failed him and Donnie drew him into a hug, allowing the youngest turtle to sob into his shell. "I want Leo back Donnie…" Mikey whispered, his eyes scrunched shut.

Donnie moved Mikey along the tunnel, still hugging him back.

"So do I, Mikey, so do I."

Once Raph approached the lair with Leo, Maser Slinter came rushing out, obviously alerted by Donnie of the situation. That didn't mean there was any less shock on his face.

"Leonardo…" he gently whispered, checking the eldest turtle's vitals as Raph carried him through to the lab. "Raphael, set him down on the table."

Raph nodded, hiding his fear as his other brothers ran into the room.

"Right- I need everyone out-" Raph opened his mouth to speak- "Everyone Raph- including you."

Raph cursed silently but followed the order and trailed Mikey and Splinter out of the room. He shut the lab door behind him and joined half of his family in the pit.

For a long moment there was a heavy silence, broken by Mikey's sniffing when suddenly the youngest of the family broke down. Raph moved across to him and pulled him close.

"Leo will make it, don't you worry about that Mikey." Raph rubbed his baby brother's shell, "Leo's tough." This seemed to reassure Mikey a little, so once he had settled, Master Splinter asked the one question which had weighed heavy in his mind.

"Raphael, what happened?"

By his side, Mikey tensed.

"Mikey," Raph improvised, "Could you grab us some tea?" Personally Raph hated the stuff, but it took a long time to brew, giving Mikey a chance to escape if he wanted to. Yet the youngster's expression surprised him. Mikey sat up, arms crossed.

"Do you know what happened when we were kidnapped?" He snapped in an unMikeyish way.

Raph just shook his head.

"Would you mind telling us, Michelangelo?" Splinter laid a kind paw on his shoulder and with a determined nod, Mikey began his tale.

"When they knocked us out on that roof top, they didn't take out Leo. Leo said the Kraang wanted one of us to… _convince_ Leo…" Mickey subconsciously gripped Splinter's kimono.

"Convince him to do what, Michelangelo?" Splinter rubbed the youngster's shell.

"To… to accept their… experiments…" Mikey whispered, his baby blue eyes swimming with tears yet still he continued, "They didn't want you Raph, as you're too strong… so they picked me. The weakest…" Mikey added dis-heartedly.

Raph shook his head.

"You're not the weakest, Mikey." He smiled at his youngest brother- his tough exterior melting away, "You faced their experiments as well and you're holding up just fine."

Raph nudged him kindly, and Mikey's cheeky grin returned for a bit.

"Aww, thanks Raphie!" Mikey teased, receiving a false growl in return. He returned to his tale, "They put us in cages- the same ones as we found Leo in…" Mikey rubbed his neck and for the first time Raph noticed a line of raw skin where a collar must have laid, sparking his fury once again, "They threw in some food and… Well, you know that part." He quickly added, not wishing to recount his ordeal once again, "Then you guys found me and got Leo…" His eyes met Raph's, silently pleading for him to continue so he did, explaining to Splinter about the Kraang experiments on both Mikey and Leo and how the lab collapsed, catching Leo after he had saved them all.

"We eventually got him free and found a portal." Raph concluded, watching their sensei's concerned face.

"My sons-" Splinter whispered, pulling both brothers closer, "I apologise for not being there when you all needed me. Michelangelo," Mikey looked up, "I am proud of how you overcame your ordeal to help save your brother, putting your own suffering behind you for the good of others. We all know you would never do such actions." Mikey's eyes widened in relief, revealing his concern of what Splinter would say. Raph was sure Mikey had been terrified Sensei would be angry. Thankfully Splinter had understood and told Mikey exactly what he needed to hear.

Splinter turned to Raph and opened his mouth to say something when there was a loud rumble.

The three spun around in the direction of the lab to see Donnie standing at the top of the stairs, his expression grim.

 **Sorry for the longer wait this week. I have exam mocks at the moment so am preoccupied... As soon as they're over I'll be back as usual! ANYWAY:**

 **What will Donnie say?**

 **Will Leo be able to walk again?**

 **What will the reactions be to the good/bad news?**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	23. How can you say that, Raph

**Chapter 22**

Raph sat by Leo's side as he lay unmoving on the mattress in the lab, waiting for him to wake up. As he clenched and unclenched his fists his sluggish brain slowly processed what Donnie had said.

Leo was paralysed from the waist down. His spine had been crushed so badly even Donnie wouldn't be able to fix it. The second youngest turtle had broken down after this. He had thought he had failed them all.

But the worst thing was what Donnie had muttered as Splinter comforted him.

 _"_ _But if it was… if it had been one of us… with a shell… the damage would have been… reversible…"_

The moment Donnie had said that, Raph's world went red, he wasn't angry- no- he was _Livid_. He wanted to get revenge for his brother, to hurt the Kraang just like they had hurt Leo- but Splinter wouldn't allow it. He had placed Raph on bedside duty, giving Donnie a break- least until Leo awoke- giving Raph time to cool his head.

He watched Leo's exposed chest rising and falling beneath the kimono as he rested in his drug induced sleep. Donnie had said he cleaned all the wounds and bandaged them up tight as well as giving him something strong for the pain.

He hadn't regained consciousness since he had been brought here.

Raph took his brother's casted hand and held it close to his own chest.

"Wake up brother." Raph whispered, a tear rolling from under his mask, "We- I need you. Please Leonardo… We're lost without you…"

Raph closed his eyes, knowing deep down his brother probably couldn't even hear him, yet it did help calm his anger. He needed Leo back so much- he wanted to help him and apologise for not being there in the Kraang facility with him during his endless tortures. He wanted to assure him that the Kraang would leave him alone and-

"Are… Are you… _crying_?" A weak voice muttered.

Raph's eyes shot open to see Leonardo's good eye open and watching him.

"LEO!" He cried, falling to his knees and awkwardly hugging his brother close, "I'm sorry, bro…"

"Hey- hey!" Although his voice was still weak, there was strong emotion in it, "I shouldn't have let them capture me and Mikey…" His voice trailed off, "How is he? Has he been sleeping?"

Raph shook his head in amusement. Leo's first thoughts were always for his brother's wellbeing.

"Only Donnie has slept in the last day as he worked all night to patch you up and the rest of us have been too worried to sleep."

Leo nodded. He then shifted uncomfortably and attempted to push himself up into a sitting position, however Raph had to push him down.

"Don said you shouldn't move too much as it may cause more damage-" he cut himself off before he could say the words, _To your spine_. Donnie had also said to let him tell Leo so he didn't think he had gone to bed in order to hide from the truth.

But Leo caught the sudden pause.

"What damage." He ordered coldly, then his eyes widened, "Am I-" he began but Raph cut him off by yelling out of the lab.

"GUYS! Get Donnie! Leo's awake!" Raph turned back to his elder brother, "Donnie's orders." He muttered, yet he knew Leo wasn't too pleased about being treated like an invalid. Sadly, that could happen a lot more often with his current condition.

There came a rush of footsteps as Mikey and Splinter- led by Donnie- entered the lab and headed straight over to Leo's bedside.

Mikey leant over and embraced his brother, tears flowing thickly down his cheeks, but Donnie pulled him off.

"Leo-" he began, but Leo interrupted.

"I'm paralysed aren't I?"

The room was shocked into silence of the bluntness of the statement. Of course Leo would have known, but the monotone way he had stated it hadn't been expected.

Everyone turned to Donnie. He cleared his throat and moved closer to his brother. Silently he moved Leo carefully into a sitting position, his shaking hands checking the eldest's spine.

"Yes." Donnie's voice came out trembling so he coughed to steady it, "From the waist down you are… paralysed…" He took another breath, allowing his scientific mind to take over, "Your T2, T3 and T3 bones have been damaged so badly that you have Paraplegia." Raph coughed.

"English, Don." Donnie blinked, forgetting no one else understood.

"Right. Basically you've lost sensation in your lower body as certain parts of your spine have been shattered…" Donnie choked, the extent of the damage finally getting through to him, "I'm… I'm sorry Leo!" he sobbed, and with his good arm, Leo pulled him closer, holding his brother closer in a hug, whispering "It's not your fault." Over and again.

As Donnie fell into constant sobbing, Leo realise Mikey was also crying so held out his other arm and pulled him into an embrace as well.

He turned to Raph to see his eyes were damp and smiled at him.

"I don't suppose big tough Raph wants to join?" he teased light-heartedly, yet for Raph, that was the last straw.

"You're okay with this!" He bellowed, making the two younger turtles look up suddenly and Splinter place a comforting paw on Raph's shoulder, which was sharply shrugged off. "You've just been told about _THAT_ and you comfort _them_?!" He gestured angrily at the two youngest brothers, "We should be comforting YOU as it's YOU who's life's been changed- YOU who is an… an… _invalid_!" Splinter stood up sharply.

"That's ENOUGH Raphael!"

"How can you say that, Raph?!" Donnie snapped, pulling away from Leo, standing with Splinter.

"What's an invalid?" Mikey whispered to Leo, snuggling deeper into his chest.

"What I am." Leo murmured back barely above a whisper, however everyone heard.

"My son…" Splinter moved past the others and knelt beside Leo. He went to place a comforting hand upon his shoulder, but Leo pushed Mikey into Splinter's arms instead.

"No. It's true. All of your faces say that." Leo reached up onto the lab table beside him and gripped something, before anyone saw what it was, it was too late. "I'm sorry." Leo stated sadly and he plunged the scalpel down hard towards his neck.

 **DUN DUN DUN!**

 **Was that worth the wait!?**

 **SO why is Leo doing this?**

 **What will his brothers and sensei do?**

 **Who's going to be the first to break down?!**

 **Sorry for the long wait but most of my mocks are out of the way now! Hopefully I'll get this finished within the next few weeks!**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	24. It wasn't my water balloon throwing arm!

**Chapter 23**

The moment Leo grasped the scalpel, several things happened at once.

Splinter: Splinter shoved Michelangelo away from him in a desperate attempt to reach Leonardo before he could land the final blow.

Michelangelo: Reeling from Splinter's shove, his brain wasn't focusing properly. When he turned this changed- he saw Leo and the blade, yet he knew he would be unable to do anything- he was now too far away.

Donatello: Donatello was coming up with a million reasons how he could have stopped this before it even took place. Thoughts of death were common amongst paralysis victims, he shouldn't have left the scalpel so close to Leo- heck- he didn't even think Leo knew it was there! He tried to reach Leo's hand, yet his own was shaking too much he couldn't control his actions! Leo would die and it was all his fault!

Raphael: The moment he saw Leo move for the scalpel, Raph's brain went into overdrive, he had regretted the word he had used about Leo the moment he had said it, but his pride stopped him from taking it back. Now it could be too late. As he was standing the closest to his elder brother, he had the best chance of stopping the fatal blow. He reached out, but his left hand missed, brushing Leo's hand in mid-air. The blade continued to fall-

Until Raph caught it in his right hand.

For a second there was a shocked silence in which all members of the Hamato family stared at Leo, unable to comprehend the fact their leader had attempted to kill himself.

"Leo…" Mikey whispered, breaking the silence, however Leo didn't seem to hear him.

Instead, he just glared at Raph, his eyes full of anger and sadness. He tried to pull away from Raph.

"Let me go Raph!" The eldest turtle snapped.

Raph's eyes widened,

"WHAT THE SHELL ARE YOU THINKING, BRO?" The red banded turtle yelled, however, Leo didn't even blink.

"You said it yourself." He murmured so only the second eldest could hear, "I'm a liability to the whole team. You don't need me."

"I… I…" For a second Raph had no answer, although it was true Leo had become a liability, he couldn't exactly admit that.

This pause gave Leo the perfect opportunity. With a sudden burst of strength which defied his weakened state, Leo removed his wrist from Raph's grip, allowing the scalpel to fall towards its target.

There was the sound of the blade entering skin, an explosion of blood and a scream.

But strangely none of these came from Leo.

Instead, they came from Mikey, who had jumped into action the moment Raph stopped Leo's mad suicide attempt- throwing himself in between the two eldest turtles to get a hold of the blade, yet Leo had begun to move again before he reached the blade, so Mikey had done the only thing he could think of. He had thrown an arm under the scalpel, between it and Leo's exposed neck.

As one the room burst into action.

Leo's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open in a silent apology while Raph began apologising to Mikey, making sure he was still conscious. Donnie was instantly at Mikey's side, carefully removing the blade from Mikey's arm and applying pressure to the wounded area as Master Splinter soothed the whimpering form of Mikey, whose green skin had taken a pale tinge.

Eventually Leo fond his words.

"W…will Mikey be alright?" He asked, his voice tiny and ashamed.

"He'll live- but it'll leave a scar…" Donnie replied coolly, not looking at Leo.

"…S…s'ok…" Mikey hissed as Donnie applied some alcohol to the wound. Splinter rubbed Mikey's shell in small circles, soothing him.

"Mikey…" Leo looked into his youngest brother's eyes, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's fine!" Mikey cracked a pained smile, "It wasn't my water balloon throwing arm!" To demonstrate he lifted his other arm and promptly knocked Donnie's hand which was steadily threading a needle.

"MIKEY!"

"Whoops, sorry D."

Leo watched this, his heart pounding. His actions had hurt one of his brothers- not just any of them, but the youngest. The one they were all silently sworn to protect. In his act of selfishness he had stabbed Mikey. He had broken the silent oath he had made upon receiving his weapons, _by no blade of my own shall my brothers bleed_. The way Splinter was looking at him sadly, Leo knew his master felt the same way he did, ashamed.

It was once Mikey's arm had been stitched up, Raph looked back to Leo and seen the torment in his face.

"Why?" was all he said, yet Leo knew exactly what he meant.

He looked down at his broken and half useless body, taking in the maze of scars and bandaged wounds, the hurtful realisation dawning in his mind.

"I won't be able to protect you guys…" Leo whispered, still not meeting his brother's gaze. He felt the other eyes in the room turn to him, but he no longer cared if they saw the emotions he had kept inside. "I can't train, I can't fight, I'm a liability to the whole team, just another thing to get in you guy's way."

"Leonardo-" Splinter began, but Leo looked up, the tears in his eyes visible for all to see.

"No. Let me finish Sensei." He interrupted, his voice beginning to shake, "How do you think it'll feel. I'm usually there, in the middle of the fight to help my brothers- the job _you_ gave me, Sensei, and from now on I'll be trapped down here, not knowing what's going on. And when the day comes that one of you will be badly hurt or… or worse. I wouldn't be able to help out. What am I going to do now?" Leo began to sob openly and the earlier tension between the brothers instantly melted away as they crowded around their leader and brother, holding him as he cried. His final statement before the sobs consumed him was the most heart wrenching thing the turtles had ever heard Leo say, "What use am I to you now?"

Yet none of them had an answer.

 **There we go- Leo is still breathing!**

 **Sorry for the long wait but mocks mocks and more mocks! :(**

 **SO:**

 **What will the brothers do?**

 **Will Leo try again?**

 **What will Master Splinter say?**

 **BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY:**

 **What will become of LEO?**

 **Thanks for reading and: HINT HINT leaving a review!**

 **LL99 OUT!**

 **HOHOHO! (what it's near Christmas!)**


	25. Let's do this

**Chapter 24**

Later that evening, once Donnie had sedated Leo and Splinter remained sitting by his bedside to make sure Leo didn't try another suicide attempt, the three shocked, youngest turtles sat in the kitchen. For a long time, not one spoke until Mikey- his arm still bandaged up tight, whispered,

"He won't do that again, will he Donnie?"

Donnie and Raph exchanged a glance.

"Honestly Mikey," Donnie shook his head, "I don't know…"

This wasn't the answer Mikey was looking for, so he put his head on the table and spoke darkly,

"I hate the Kraang."

Donnie nodded in agreement as Raph muttered sadly.

"Yeah, they did this to fearless…"

For a second this echoed around Donnie's mind then suddenly, something clicked. He stood up quickly, making his brothers jump, and turned, searching through the draws to find a pencil and something to write on.

"Donnie?" Raph questioned, but Donnie ignored him. Finally he found what he was looking for.

He began to jot something down on the back of a pizza leaflet and when the brothers looked over his shoulder they saw it was a list of Leo's injuries. As suddenly as he started, Donnie put down the pencil and began to explain.

"Looking at Leo's injuries, there are still wounds which I have no idea of their origin. Like here for example-" he pointed at the words ' _Y shaped cut on left palm_ ' "I have no idea why the Kraang did half of these things or what instruments they used. If we could break into TCRI I'm sure they would have Leo's files, which may- I'm not saying for certain- but it is possible that I may be able to do something about Leo's paralysis or shell…" He let the idea hang in the air for a second.

"So what are we waiting for?!" Raph yelled, jumping up and pulling out a sai- stabbing one into the table for added effect. "We need to go now!"

"It isn't that simple Raph!" Donnie pulled the sai from the table and pointed it at his brother's face, "Leo can't know. We can't get his hopes up."

"He's sedated isn't he?" Raph bit back, taking the sai from the scientist.

"Yes, but someone needs to be with him when he wakes up." Donnie snapped.

"I'll stay." Mikey spoke up, halting the argument in its tracks. "Don't worry, I'm a pro at making up stories!"

"Like the time elves stole your numbchucks and replaced them with mozzarella sticks?" Raph pointed out, putting away his sai.

"Exactly." Mikey grinned, not sensing the sarcasm behind the words. "I'll tell him you're just setting up the lab for… for a, um… Operation!"

"For what?" Donnie pointed out. "If we can't get the files then there won't be one."

"We can pretend!"

Raph looked at Donnie and nodded.

"It could work. Besides- Mikey's arm's still bust so he isn't best suited for a mission…"

The brothers exchanged a look and a smile.

"Let's do this."

It was late afternoon by the time Raph and Donnie reached the Kraang filled TCRI, the sun beginning to sink behind the towering spires of New York skyscrapers. On the side of one of TCRI's twin peaks, the two turtles crouched, listening carefully for Kraang guards. Donnie turned to Raph, raised two fingers and pointed to the corner. _Two Kraang, you go first._ Raph complied, unsheathing his sais as he charged around the corner, followed by Donnie. Two hits and the guards fell silently to the ground below.

Donnie took the lead once more, his electronic lock pick out at the ready. Under his brother's gaze, he picked the lock on the roof entrance and jumped through, dropping into the darkened room of the Kraang data base. Raph landed next to him and muttered,

"How come we're never that lucky?"

Donnie shook his head as he began to download information form the computer,

"Maybe because the Kraang are sorting out the mess in Dimension X?"

Raph shrugged and stood guard, impatiently tapping his sai. For a long five minutes, there was silence, save for the hum of the electronics in the computer, until Donnie suddenly gasped, making Raph jump.

"What?" The hot-headed turtle snapped, hiding his fear of what he was about to see. But to his surprise Donnie didn't say anything and tears began to form in his eyes.

Taking a breath, Raph looked to the screen and to his horror, he saw a collection of videos, all at different stages of Leo's original capture. The Kraang had _filmed_ their experiments on Leo and left them here to be rewatched. It was sick. One screen showed a group of Kraang droids dragging a struggling Leo in a lab while another showed his limb form being carried out. One screen showed an experiment already under way with Leo chained to a wall as droids prodded him with their shock sticks. Despite there being no sound, both brothers watched in terror as their leader's face contorted with agony and eventually he opened his mouth, a silent scream escaping his throat.

The final screen held the worst experiment of them all. Leo was strapped down to a stretcher, obviously still awake due to his struggling. Then the worst sight the brothers would ever see began. The Kraang began to cut into Leo's shell as the turtle struggled and screamed silently. Suddenly a Kraang droid obscured the camera and the next time he moved, the monitor beside Leo flashed red. Raph was forced to turn away, unable to tolerate anymore of Leo's suffering until Donnie whispered,

"He's dead… They… They just killed him…" Raph snapped up, tears also in his own eyes.

"What the shell are you saying Don?!" he hissed, "Leo's recovering. You said so yourself."

Donnie shook his head and pointed to the flashing red in the screen.

"That is a heart monitor." He choked through tears, "It says there's not heartbeat. That Kraang just killed Leo!" For a second Raph didn't say anything, but when he did his voice was hushed, barely audible.

"So how come we have Leo back at the lair?"

Donnie bit his tongue in thought. He cocked his head and tampered with the video, moving forward through the experiment. The knives continued to flash, then part of the shell was removed, then suddenly Leo was lying on the stretcher bare, masses of cuts mapping their way across his skin. Then, the same Kraang droid blocked the camera again and when it moved, the heart monitor came back to life.

Donnie mapped the time period and turned to Raph, his hands shaking so badly he had to clench them together.

"12 hours. They killed Leo for 12 hours… That was the only way they could operate on his spine and shell. 12 hours…"

Raph could only stare in shock and anger.

Back at the lair, Mikey had taken Splinter's place at Leo's bedside. Donnie had said Leo would wake within the hour, however he hadn't warned him how awkward it would be to speak to the eldest turtle.

When Leo awoke, Mikey had hugged him and scolded him for his actions, yet Leo didn't seem to be listening. All he had asked was where the others were, so Mikey had used his earlier suggestion and told Leo that Donnie and Raph were preparing for an operation. Somehow Leo didn't believe him.

Mikey only hoped the guys would get back soon.

Back in TCRI, the files had finally downloaded, giving the two turtles the time to dry their eyes and attempt to get over what they had just learnt.

"So… Don?" Raph attempted to break the tension in the air. He received a grunt in reply, "With this," he waved at the files, not wanting to state what his brother would have to watch again, "will you be able to help Leo?"

Donnie pocketed the hard drive and turned to Raph.

"I think so. If I can reverse the process they used I may be able to reset Leo's spine into an artificial shell, possibly rewiring the nerves in the process…" he took a deep breath, "But… If I followed the same procedure… I would have to stop Leo's heart again…" Raph blinked at his scientific brother in surprise. Yet despite his shock, it did make sense, he would have to follow the Kraang's plans and that was the method they used.

"Come on." Raph shrugged to the door, unable to comment on what his brother had just said, "We better get back…"

Donnie sighed and followed to the open hatch in the ceiling when a beep from behind made the brothers turn. Several Kraang droids had entered and had now raised their blasters.

"Kraang!" One droid pointed at the brothers, "Destroy the ones who are in the place the ones in this place are not supposed to be in."

"Shell." Was all Raph said as he pulled out his sais.

 **Sorry for the long wait but there we are: Raph and Donnie have Leo's files! But the Kraang have found them! DUN DUN DUN!**

 **So:**

 **Will they escape the Kraang?**

 **How will Leo react when/ if he hears the news?**

 **Will Donnie go ahead with the plan?**

 **Will Leo recover?!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	26. It looks worse than it is

**Chapter 25**

Leo was getting impatient. He was asking too many questions- trying to catch Mikey out.

"What operation are they preparing for?"

"Um… They didn't tell me…"

"Why are they taking so long?"

"They um… they… They're cleaning the tools. Yeah! That's it."

"You're lying aren't you?"

"Nope. Never."

And so on. It was fair to say that Mikey was running out of ideas.

He quickly offered to make Leo some soup and escaped the lab when he heard a groan of pain. The youngest turtle was about to turn to run to Leo's side when he saw his other two brothers hobbling into the lair. Mikey blinked.

The groan had come from Raph, the toughest of the turtles. Something was obviously wrong.

"Mikey!" Donnie had his arm around Raph, supporting his entire weight with one arm, while the other was pressing hard against his own shell, "Give us a hand?"

Mikey blinked, shocked how a simple mission had led to his brothers getting hurt, before his gaze hardened and he took Raph's other side. Donnie nodded towards the lab.

"In there."

"But what about Leo?" Raph groaned through clenched teeth.

"Usually I would say no, but your ankle is snapped Raph, if you don't want to be able to use it again fine by me, but if you want it to heal we have to patch you up."

"Leo's gonna freak, man!" Mikey shook his head, "He's been bugging me since you left."

"Can you blame him?" Donnie moved his hand from his shell momentarily and Mikey saw a brief glimpse of red, however it was gone before Mikey could work out what it was.

Now was the moment of truth.

The three brothers walked in an instantly the fourth looked up. Leo's eyes widened, narrowed then grew concerned.

"Guys! What happened?!"

That was better than expected, thought Mikey, just as Raph cried out as he put weight on his injured leg and Leo stiffened, guilt written all over his face.

Without answering Donnie set Raph down on the work bench and began sorting out his ankle, the red mark on his shell now visible. All eyes widened, save for Raph's for he had seen it before.

"Donnie!" Leo automatically went into overprotective mode, but the scientific turtle just shrugged it off.

"It looks worse than it is." He muttered as he began layering layers of bandages and splints onto his brother's foot.

The flash of red Mikey had seen before was in fact a giant welt, almost burn like, which spread across the entire left hand side of his shell, some areas a deeper shade than others.

"How did that happen?" Leo glared at Mikey as if it were his fault, "You said they were still in the lair. "Cleaning tools" you said." The eldest visibly wanted to get up and help but his state meant he could only find out what had happened. "You guys have clearly been fighting."

"You don't say…" Raph muttered, attempting sarcasm but the pain from his ankle loosened the tone.

Donnie took a breath and began to explain,

"We made Mikey lie to you because otherwise you would completely freak out." He began, injecting shot of something into Raph's arm, making his visibly relax, "Me and Raph went to TCRI," he held up a hand so Leo wouldn't interrupt, "To find your files from the Kraang. I thought… With the notes… I may be able to reverse the damage." He saw Leo's eyes brighten in hope, yet his face remained steely. "Now I'm not saying the procedure would be successful, however after studying the notes I may be able to operate." He left the promise in the air, hovering, allowing Leo to grasp one final hope that he could be healed. "I didn't want to give you a false ideal."

Leo nodded, and to everyone's surprise, he changed the topic to Donnie and Raph's wounds. Then again, it was Leo so brotherly duties were his priority. Always.

Once Raph's ankle had been fully wrapped up, Donnie explained how they had snuck in, found the files- leaving out the part about the videos- then how a group of Kraang had barged in on them.

"During the fight they brought out their Biotroids, but as we were defending the data we found, they were more of a challenge. One of them stomped on his ankle after they threw him to the floor," Raph shrugged, embarrassed by his injury now the pain was out of the way, "Then they had those shock sticks…" Donnie rubbed his wounded shell, "And after they caught me with those we decided a retreat was in order."

Leo shook his head.

"You shouldn't have taken the risk on my behalf."

Donnie grinned.

"What? Yo wouldn't do the same for any of us?" That caught Leo off-guard.

"Of course I would."

"They you go! We're repaying the favours!" Donnie shot back pointedly.

Leo smiled.

"Thank you." Then his face hardened, "But don't risk your lives again!"

"So are you prepared to try the surgery?"

Leo looked at Raph who turned away. He knew something.

"What does it involve?"

For a second the scientific turtle didn't know what to reply with. He didn't want to lie yet he wanted Leo to recover. In the end, he decided it would be best to explain the procedure straight out.

"The same way the Kraang removed your shell- only reversed engineered." The eldest turtle's eye widened.

"You… You know how-"

"We saw the video of your surgery, and I have already created an artificial shell." Donnie interrupted bluntly. _So much for keeping that bit of information secret._

"Can you manage it?" was Leo's next question to his brother. He didn't need to specify what he meant, Donnie understood the question.

"Yes. I can live with it."

Mikey watched the exchange in confusion, lost in the current conversation.

"Explain it to you later, little brother." Raph muttered, never taking his eyes off Leo.

"You know the maximum time?" Leo continued, his features giving nothing away.

"Twelve hours."

"Ok the. I'll do it. If it doesn't work… I… I just don't have another choice…" Leo looked down, "Just don't kid yourself."

Donnie nodded and helped Raph out of the room. Mikey followed giving Leo a reassuring smile, yet all of the turtles knew what Leo was trying to say.

 _If it doesn't work, I can't promise I won't try killing myself again…_

That evening Donnie sorted out the equipment he would need. He didn't tell Splinter, but rather left the explanations to Raph so that his mind would be clear for the procedure. He reassured Leo when he sedated him, letting him drift off with a "see you on the other side." Before setting several timers, all for Twelve hours' time. He placed several clocks around the room so he couldn't let the time creep up on him and then he filled a syringe with a clear liquid the Kraang had used. He had snatched two off the side- one to stop Leo's heart, one to bring him back.

He breathed, put on some surgical scrubs and washed his hands three times.

It was time to begin.

In the pit of the lair, the twelve hours passed slowly.

Splinter remained in constant meditation, reflecting on the situation, pausing only to comfort one of his sons.

Raphael could only sit still on account of his ankle, so began to plough through his collection of comics, yet as the end of the time period neared, his eyes stopped moving and his gaze became focused upon the lab door.

Mikey spent his time being Mikey. He watched some TV, prepared some food for everyone and attempted to cheer his brother and sensei up, yet the explanation of the procedure still ran in his head.

Donnie would have to kill Leo.

It seemed like something out of a nightmare.

Then alarms blared to life from the lab- Donnie had warned them about it. The twelve hours were up.

Splinter came out of his meditation and watched the door with baited breath while Mikey moved to the bottom of the stairs ready to hear the news.

But the door never opened. An extra hour passed, then another- and suddenly the atmosphere became extremely tense. What if something had happened? Donnie wouldn't leave them this long… Would he?

Then, as the fifteenth hour passed, Donnie's cry echoed out of the lab.

"HELP! COME QUICK!"

Instantly Mikey and Splinter lunged forward while Raph was left to hobble into the lab. The sight which met his eyes was seared into the back of his mind forever more.

Leo lay on the table, his body jolting each time Donnie placed the shock paddles onto his new shell, the table covered in blood and fragments of bone.

Donnie himself was sobbing his heart out each time Leo failed to respond, his blood covered fingers pressing against Leo's neck without success of finding a pulse.

The only sounds were the 'whump' of the paddles and Donnie's continued wails of,

"I killed him! I left it too long! I wasn't good enough! Leo- don't leave us!"

Raph hopelessly surveyed the scene when his eyes fell against the clocks upon the wall.

It was three hours past the deadline.

Leo's heart had stopped for fifteen hours.

It was too late….

 **I give you all full permission to kill me! I would too!**

 **There is one more chapter to put up, but it's massive in my notebook so it way take a little while to post it!**

 **Review your reactions and thoughts!**

 **Hohoho! Merry Christmas!**

 **LL99 OUT! (And let's hope I won't be murdered before the next chapter! ;) )**


	27. May the best turtle win!

**Chapter 26**

It's been three months, and the events of that fateful night still lay heavy on everyone's mind.

 _Slash._

The way Donnie had broken down in the lab, his cry bringing them to him, his only words for the next hours circling around "It's… It's too long… I can't… I can't bring him back!"

 _Swish._

The hours passing in a blur, the shock and surprise setting in, the doleful beep of machines filling the otherwise silent lair.

 _Pause._

 _Breathe._

The turtle's grip on his weapons tightened. The next month was the hardest memory of all. The steady recovery in which he had slowly been forced to regain his former strength and movement, one shuddering step at a time.

Leonardo opened his eyes, his kata complete. Finally, four months after his capture by the Kraang, he was healing.

He couldn't remember the moment Donnie had broken down, nor the moment his brothers and sensei had rushed in, let alone when his own heart had restarted, his first memory after going under being the blurred- tearful faces of his brothers.

They had been relieved and overcome with emotion- that their brother and leader was alive- even Master Splinter had tears in his eyes.

Once they had all expressed their relief and Donnie had checked his vitals- reporting he would survive, he had then broken the news which made Leo's recovering heart almost stop once more.

Donnie had looked Leo in the eye and given him a water smile.

"The surgery appears to have been successful…" Donnie began, twisting his hands together, "But until you regain a bit more strength, we can't be sure." He had touched Leo's hand. "You may be able to walk again."

Those seven little words had taken Leo's breath away. His second youngest brother had done it, had actually managed to singlehandedly take on an operation which took a group of advanced aliens to complete, and had succeeded.

Leo had wanted to show his gratitude for his brothers, to say how much this meant to him to have even the slightest chance of regaining lower body movement once again, however words had escaped him. He could only look at Donnie's eyes and hope he understood.

He had. The scientific turtle had nodded in response and smiled.

Then followed the endless weeks of rehabilitation, not only for Leo but for all of the Hamato family.

Besides Leo, all the turtles needed time to heal both physically and mentally after the events of the past few months.

Thankfully, the stab wound to Michelangelo's arm faded with barely a trace of a scar, however the ordeal in the Kraang facility had left its mark on the youngest turtle mentally. As suspected, he had suffered dreadful nightmares for the next couple of weeks, resulting in Mikey waking up screaming, bringing at least one person running to comfort him. By the third consecutive night of this, Raph revealed his soft side by moving into Mikey's room, least until the nightmares stopped, so someone could always be there for him.

Raphael's broken ankle force him to take it easy for several weeks, the cast to his leg placing him on crutches for some time, yet being the hot-headed turtle he was, his fierce stubbornness made sure he was still training. Mentally, it was much harder to cope, for Raph began staying up at night, getting no sleep. At first everyone suspected it was because he was watching over Mikey, but when he collapsed from exhaustion one day he began muttering about not being there when his brothers needed him in the Kraang facility, his nightmares suggesting he blamed himself for Leo and Mikey's current states.

Then there was Donatello. Donnie's shell had healed within days, however he bore the much deeper scars of Leo's operation, the memories weighing heavily upon his mind.

Donnie had to deal with the fact he had almost killed Leo and that he had stopped his eldest brother's heart on purpose. Once the operation had been proven successful- the moment Leo had circled his ankles and bent his knees- Donnie had destroyed all evidence of the procedure, swearing "By Darwin's beard" that no person- or turtle- would have to suffer the same fate as Leo had gone through, not just once, but twice.

All of the Hamato family had comforted Donnie, explaining Leo was only still alive because of why he had done, however, Donnie had pointed out that Leo wouldn't have had to go through the ordeal if Donnie had tracked him down sooner.

Yet slowly, as a family, they were moving forwards. Casey and April had been at the lair most days since Leo's operation, helping the turtles to get over the painful memories and lending a hand around the lair. They were even there a month later when Leo managed to take his first steps after his paralysis. True, as far as steps went, they were shaky and few in number, however it was a strong start. Supported by Mikey and Donnie- Raph still being on crutches- Leo stood and unsteadily placed one shaky foot in front of the other. Despite several trips and wobbles, by the time he had reached the opposite wall of the lab, all the family had massive grins on their faces. Donnie's long hours of careful operating had proven successful.

Every day after that joyous moment, Leo would take more walks with his brothers in order to strengthen his muscles and build back his stamina until he was able to move by himself, leaning on a walking stick if he needed support.

Then there was the check-ups on his shell to check the attachments to his body weren't damaged or causing him discomfort. Donnie would carry out the checks, yet as he looked around the edges of the shell, the deep, raw scars from the Kraang experiments became visible, the sight always causing a shiver to run through Leo's recovering body. He was thankful that Donnie would pretend not to notice and never bring it up.

Even though he didn't want to admit it to his brothers, the nightmares were still there. Every night without fail he would suffer flashbacks of his time in the Kraang facility- snippets of the experiments and the prolonged periods of suffering.

That was the reason Leonardo was now training. He had just woken from the vision of the Kraang cutting away his shell, but instead of the blackness he remembered descending upon him- the moment he died- he continued to remain conscious, the pain continuing as the blood flowed relentlessly.

Leo twisted this grip on his katana blade and began his next kata, slashing apart the memory with shaking hands.

It was only last week Splinter had returned Leo's swords to him with the assurance his son would not use them to harm himself. That had been a desperate act done out of depression, and the eldest turtle was now glad his Sensei could trust him once again- he had missed the reassuring weight of his swords. It had been no surprise to anyone that he began his training immediately.

"Leo? S'up bro?" Leo spun, cursing himself for not hearing his youngest approaching.

"Nothing." He replied, continuing his kata as if he hadn't been interrupted. "I'm cool."

Mikey crossed his arms in mock seriousness, "I got those ninja vibes, bro! I know you're lying!"

"What do you mean?" Leo flicked the blade in the finishing swipe, then joined Mikey who had plopped himself down on the dojo floor.

Mikey gave his classic all knowing smile, "You always come to train if you have a nightmare."

"Then why are you here?" Leo retorted, glad to turn the subject to his brother.

"To tell you to get some rest instead. It's four in the morning and you've been through a lot, Leo, you can't push yourself." He grinned, "Donnie's orders."

Leo shook his head.

"But that's why I need to train. I need to get stronger."

"Train in the morning-" Leo opened his mouth to interrupt, but Mikey continued, "Morning by everyone else's standards." Leo smiled at his youngest brother.

"Thanks Mikey."

"For what?" Mikey's forehead knitted in confusion.

Leo was suddenly slightly embarrassed. He hated the subject he was about to speak of, but he needed to.

"For stopping me. I… I shouldn't have even considered it." Mikey nodded seriously. Splinter had advised them not to bring up the subject until Leo was ready, now it seemed like the time was right.

"Why though?" Mikey looked into his brother's downturned eyes.

"I won't do it again." Leo looked up, his eyes deadly serious, "Thank you for stopping me and I'm sorry I hurt you."

Mikey held up his arm proudly, showing the barely visible trace of a scar, "No sweat dude. Rather me than you!"

Leo shook his head, "No. That's why I did it- not stab you of course-" The brothers shared a small smile, "But I didn't want to go on if I couldn't help you guys. Who would protect you if Raph wasn't here? Who'd fix you up if Donnie wasn't? Who'd keep the family happy if it was you?"

"Who would keep us from drifting apart without you?" Mikey whispered, making Leo look up. Mikey was oddly serious as he continued, "Raph would spend all his time fighting and sleeping- losing his sense of honour; Donnie would lock himself in his lab and forget about everything and I wouldn't be able to stop them from doing that. No matter what you say, I'm not good enough, you're the only one to hold us together, Leo. You just need to realise that."

Leo felt tears forming in his eyes at the honesty in Mikey's words.

"Mikey…"

"He's right, you know." The two turtles looked over their shoulders to see Raph and Donnie watching from the entrance, Raph limped forward- now free from his crutch- as Donnie followed. "We need ya' bro."

Donnie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah- we need you Leo. For once Mikey's right." Donnie added, winking at Leo.

"Thanks!" Mikey beamed, before processing what his directly older brother had said, "I mean, Hey!"

Leo watched his brothers kneel next to him, each one gushing with honest feelings and emotions. He smiled.

"Thank you guys. I swear I will never do anything like that again." The brothers all met this promise with smiles.

"Leo- can I ask you something?" Donnie broke into the moment. Once Leo gestured for him to continue, he did, "How come you managed to come back from fifteen hours when last time you barely came back from twelve?"

For a long moment there was silence in the dojo and Donnie suddenly began to worry he had gone too far. He was about to apologise when Leo replied.

"When I was with the… Kraang," the word came out slowly, as if it took Leo some effort to say it, "I had given up hope, yet this time I had my loyalty to you guys. I was nearly gone," he admitted, "but I heard your voices and how upset you sounded when I couldn't come back- only a few words- nothing much- and this was enough to get me to come back. My loyalty to you never died, that was the only reason I was able to fight my way back to you. I had failed you once, and I didn't plan on doing so again."

The turtles all nodded and shared a smile- enjoying the end of their brother's suffering. Leonardo still had a way to go until he returned to normal, yet he was on the mend. The Kraang seemed to have forgotten about him for now and the files of the experiments had been destroyed.

Then Raph decided the time was right to break the moment.

"So… Who's up for an early morning free for all?" He stood up, and recalling his last sparring session with Leo added, "And no breaking ribs this time!"

Leo laughed- his first since the operation, and tapped his new shell.

"Not possible, is it?" He looked at Donnie for confirmation who put a thumb up in agreement, "Reinforced with something or other Donnie found or invented." He unsheathed his swords, "I'm in."

"I'm game!" Mikey jumped to his feet.

"He too!" Donnie readied his staff as Raph pulled out his sai.

"Let's do this thing!"

Leo grinned.

"May the best turtle win!"

 **So there you have it folks! The end of my longest (and favourite) fanfiction!**

 **REVIEW!**

 **READ THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

 **LL99 OUT!**


	28. Thank you to you all!

**I owe a lot to everybody who has reviewed this story for I nearly left it incomplete so I could work on my own novel, however you guys all convinced me otherwise. Thank you to all below:**

Alex

Chloe the Critic Cat

demmgayhistoricalobsessions

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yukio87

 **Sorry if I missed anybody out and a massive thank you to all the guests as well.**

 **This is my mist successful FanFiction so far so you guys rule!**

 **:)**

 **Have a great Christmas and new year everyone and see you around some other time. I'm taking a break from Fanfiction writings so I can work on my own stories and studies but when I return- I will, don't worry- I'll be back with a ninja army of ideas!**

 **Thank you again and happy writings!**

 **LeggoLover99** **signing off for the time being,** **OUT!**


	29. VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT INKITT

Listen up all of you great people, I need a favour!

I am now on Inkitt as Moongirl33 and have entered a Fanfiction competition with this story!

If anyone is on Inkitt, I would appreciate you liking it or leaving a comment for me!

Thank you all and have a great new year!

LL99 Out.


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